Fated
by supersleet
Summary: Abandoned by her father and left with nothing but her name, Adelie struggles to survive. When a chance encounter brings her into a new world, one of grand heists and complicated politics, she is not quite sure what to make of it. Was it really just a coincidence, or is there something bigger at work? COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Rain. I used to love rain. The tapping on the roof like a million impatient fingers. The sweet smell as it washed the earth. The occasional flashes of lightning, illuminating the world if only for a minute, and the corresponding thunder, rumbling like an old man's snores. It reminded me of home.

I kicked a pebble into a puddle, crouching down next to it to watch the ripples spread and fade into those created by the gentle drizzle.

"Adelie?"

I turned to face the voice. "Papa!" I jumped up and down in place, arms in the air, impatient for him to pick me up.

"What are you doing in this weather, cub? Shouldn't you be home with your mother?"

"She told me to find you"

He set me back down on the muddy road, scratching the back of his neck. "Ah… well… Oh! I have something for you" He produced a honey nut treat.

I squealed with delight, taking the sticky sweet in my hands. I took a small bite as my father's large hand landed on my head. It was warm against my wet hair.

"Go play, cub. I'll see you at home"

I nodded, skipping off to throw stones in the river.

The sun hung low in the sky, dyeing the remaining clouds bright hues of orange and pink as I rounded the corner to my house.

"You said you would have the money, Horilf" A gruff voice floated towards me. They sounded angry.

I slowed, peering cautiously around the corner. My father stood just in front of the doorway, his hand on his neck. Three orcs stood around him, two in armor, the speaker wore plain clothing. I stared at the wicked blades that adorned their hips.

"I will have the money, I just need a little more time" He flashed his winning smile.

"You said that last week!"

I ducked behind the corner, but it was too late. I had been spotted.

"Adelie! Back so soon? Come give papa a hug"

I reluctantly approached, letting my father pick me up. My fingers were still sticky from the treat. I regretted taking it.

I looked back at the debt collectors. They weren't always orcs. Sometimes they were nords. Once they were forsworn. None of them were ever paid.

"You won't always be able to hide behind a child, Horilf" The main orc grunted before turning and walking away. The other two followed in suit.

"What kind of coward would hide behind a child?" He called after them, scoffing as he turned back into the house.

"What kind of coward indeed" My mother's voice was soft, weak, raspy, but full of anger.

My father turned away as I crawled into her bed, feeling her thin arms wrap around me.

"Adelie, you're all wet"

I snuggled closer to her as I peeled off my wet tunic.

"Adelie, my love. I need to tell you something"

I closed my eyes, relishing the feeling of her whispers against my hair.

"Never rely on anyone, my love. They will only disappoint you. Live only for yourself"

I opened my eyes, watching my father's silhouette sit heavily in front of the fire.

"And Adelie?"

"Mmm"

"I'm so sorry, my love. I'm sorry I've failed you" her lips pressed against the back of my head.

"Silly mama" I whispered.

It was cold when I woke the next morning. I pressed myself against my mother.

"Adelie"

I grunted in response, curling the blankets tighter around me.

"Adelie you need to get up"

I poked my head out from under the covers squinting against the light. _Why is the door open?_

"Mama, we gotta get up" I whispered, reaching to press my hand against her face. My hands and feet were always cold. It usually woke her up. I stopped inches away. _Why are her eyes open?_

I felt hands slip under my armpits. I was pulled from bed, my eyes glued to my mother. _Why are her eyes open?_

I recognized the purple armor of a guard. Two of them lifted my mother out of bed. Her body was like taffy, it bent and sagged under its own weight.

"Papa where is mama going?" I could feel the panic rising in my chest. "Papa?"

He let me go as soon as I started to struggle. I skinned my knees on the floor as I fell. "Mama?" I ran after the guards. They put her on a wagon. Not even a comfortable one. She _hates_ wagons.

"Mama!" I screamed, running after the wagon. Someone stopped me. I struggled against them too but they didn't let go. I could only watch as she disappeared down the path.

I was five years old.

The years went on. We stayed in that same house, my father and I. He continued to leave every night to drink and gamble, come home in the morning, and sleep until the following night. I did everything I could to keep the place liveable, cleaning, cooking, doing odd jobs around town to make spare coin. The debt collectors kept coming, and they kept leaving without their money. My father was nothing if not persuasive.

Then one night he left. The next morning, he simply didn't come back.

Then the jarl's men came. I left before they could come and take me to the orphanage. I was on my own then. No food, no family, no money.

And now, the rain is nothing but wet. And home doesn't exist.


	2. Chapter 2

Somehow, almost six years after that, I found myself in the city of beggars and thieves and other unsavory things. I didn't quite know why. Riften was notoriously poor, save for the Black-Briars and maybe the Jarl. I usually tried to stick to wealthier cities, places where coin purses were fat and people were generous.

I had tried to steal, of course. Anyone with as little money as I had resorted to that at some point. For some reason, shopkeepers found it hard to believe that a girl in tattered clothes would have a jeweled necklace to sell, so that didn't last long. Now, I mostly lightened people's coin purses and begged a little bit here and there.

Riften was also _wet_. Something that I had grown to hate. But despite the smell of stagnant water, I walked towards the gate.

"Stop right there" Thick nordic accent. "Before you enter the city you have to pay a visitor's tax"

I rolled my eyes. _As if I could pay that, even if it existed._ "What's the tax for?"

The guard crossed his arms. "For the privilege of entering the city- what does it matter?"

I glanced at the other guard, noticing that he was keeping his voice low enough that his partner couldn't hear.

"This is obviously a shakedown" I almost shouted.

The guard flinched visibly, glancing back to where his partner was standing. "Alright, I'll let you in, just keep your voice down" He hissed as he pulled out a key.

I smiled smugly, stepping through the door.

It was as depressing as I expected, but not nearly as dead. In fact, the place was bustling. A nord woman and a redguard argued on a bridge, the marketplace was full of vendors, all of which had wares to sell, and there was no shortage of guards.

I walked towards the marketplace, hopeful that there might be some purses to cut.

"All meats clean and free of rockjoint!"

"Buy some armor and live to tell about it"

"All pieces made with fine argonian craftsmanship"

"Genuine Falmer Blood Elixir!"

 _Wait, what?_

"Live for a thousand years!" A nord man said, pressing what looked like a large health potion on a passerby.

I moved towards the stand, curious. I never made it though. As soon as he saw me the bottle was gone and he was in front of me, away from his stand.

"Looking a bit short on the coin, eh lass?" His eyes were sparkly and green. His hair was a calm shade of red. His cheeks were pink and his smile was bright. I frowned. My hair was brown, my eyes were gray, and my nose and cheeks were covered in brown freckles. I was envious of this colorful man. It made me hate him and wish I was him at the same time.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm saying your pockets look a bit light, lass. Trust me, I can tell" His voice was low and smooth. It would have been attractive, if he hadn't said lass every other word.

"And how could you possibly do that?"

"It's all about sizing up your mark, lass. Way they walk, what they're wearing, it's a dead giveaway" His voice was low and husky.

 _Does he think I'm a-_ "I really don't think that's any of your business"

"That's where you're wrong, lass. Wealth is my business… maybe you'd like a taste?"

"You cannot possibly think that I would stoop so low as- as _that!_ " I hissed, taking a step back. "I don't know what kind of town this is but never and I mean _never_ has anyone so boldly-" I had to look for the word "-prepositioned me!"

He looked shocked for a second, but then he broke out into a smile, then a laugh. "What? Oh, no, lass. Not- I have an errand to run, I need an extra set of hands"

I crossed my arms. "What is it?"

"I'm going to cause a distraction, put on a little performance. I need you to steal Madesi's silver ring, it's in a strongbox under his stand. Then I need you to plant that ring on Brand-Shei"

"Why?"

"A client wants him out of business." He said flatly. "You'll be paid"

I shifted on my feet. It certainly sounded easy enough. I nodded. "I'll do it. I'm ready now"

"Excellent. Just wait until I've caused a distraction"

I nodded, moving towards the jewelry stand.

"Everybody! Gather 'round!"

That was my cue. I waited for the market place to be around the red haired nord, checked that no guards were watching and crouched down, lockpicks ready. The first lock was easy. I broke two picks opening the one on the strongbox, but was able to scoop out the ring.

"Come on Brynjolf" I looked around for the speaker, frowning at the dunmer before scanning the crowd for Brand-Shei. Madesi was the only Argonian around.

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, Brand-Shei" Brynjolf put extra emphasis on the name.

 _Well, even if you do mess up it's not like you were planning on staying long,_ I thought as I crept up on the dunmer, slipping the ring in his pocket just as he got up to leave Brynjolf's lecture. I straightened, trying to look nonchalant as I returned to Brynjolf.

"We make a good team" He said. "The way things have been going around here it's a miracle that went off without a hitch"

 _Yeah, whatever._ "You said I'd be paid"

"Ah, of course" He said, handing me a coin purse.

I took it, staring at the bulge, feeling its weight in my hand. There must have been a hundred septims in there, _did he make a mistake?_ I glanced up at him, he was talking, something about bad luck in his organization, I wasn't really listening. I stashed the purse before he could realize his mistake.

"There's plenty more where that came from" He said, gesturing to the purse.

 _So it hadn't been a mistake?_

"If you're interested-"

"I am" I said immediately. _Making some money before moving on couldn't hurt._

He chuckled. "I appreciate your enthusiasm. If you make it to the ragged flagon, in the ratway, I can personally guarantee your acceptance"

"Sounds easy enough"


	3. Chapter 3

"Easy enough" Turned out to be "Fight a thousand lunatics and ruffians that make you seem wealthy in comparison". I had never been much of a fighter. By that, I meant that I had never been _good_ at fighting. I was willing to fight just about anything. I had fought many things, but I usually lost. The fact that _these_ opponents had absolutely no sense of self-preservation, that they didn't seem to feel pain, and that they were completely _wet_ was enough motivation for me to get away quickly. I pushed open the door to what I hoped was the ragged flagon.

Inside it was, just as I feared, wet.

"I'm telling you, this one's different"

"You, Vex, Mercer, you're all part of a dying breed"

I followed the path around the grimy water to the bar. I tried not to flinch under the gaze of the enormous bouncer as I scurried over to Brynjolf, who had swapped his fine clothes for a set of intricate looking leather armor, covered in pouches and belts.

"Then what do you call _that_?" he said, jerking his chin towards me. He turned in the stool to face me. "Didn't think I'd be seeing you again"

"You obviously did, I'm _different_ " Did he really not notice me come in? "Besides, getting here was easy"

He smiled. "Reliable _and_ headstrong? You're turning out to be quite the catch".

"I'm only here for the gold" I said flatly, crossing my arms.

"Well, it turns out that I have a job for you right now".

I leaned forward.

"Not like your work last time. There's some shopkeepers that owe us money and have decided not to pay. You're to go get the gold" He handed me a list of names. "I don't care what you do but I don't want to hear about any killings, got it?"

I nodded, turning around, not looking forward to having to navigate the ratway again.

* * *

"You can tell Brynjolf that he won't be seeing a single rusty septim from me"

I crossed my hands behind my back, pouting a little, but I nodded. The other shopkeepers hadn't been this difficult, but I knew how to get him. "I understand…" I sighed, looking around the shop. Bersi Honey-Hand was being less than generous with his 'handouts'. "He's not gonna be happy with me but I guess that's not your fault" I sighed, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye.

He relaxed against the wall. "You seem like a good kid. Take my advice, get out of there as soon as you can. No good will come from being a part of the beggars' guild"

"I think you'd be a bit more willing to pay if we were the beggars guild" I said with a smile, eliciting a laugh.

"Is there anything I can do for you while you're here?"

I narrowed my eyes. His guard was down. I walked over to the dwarven urn on the shelf, the one his wife told me about.

"Is this for sale?"

"Ah- no, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't-"

I ran a hand over it, my smile turning wicked. "Then I guess it wouldn't hurt to lose it"

"What- no it's very-"

I picked it up. "Oh- wow, this is really heavy"

"If you would just set that-" He was moving around the counter now.

"Not another move, Bersi"

He froze, face pale, eyes glued to the urn.

"The money"

His eyes flicked up to me. "You-"

"Better hurry. I don't know how much longer I can hold it"

"Ah- I think I have some coin, a hundred was it?" He filled the pouch quickly. "Now please"

I set the urn back in its place, holding my hand out for the coin.

He pulled it back. "I knew you were bluffing. Sweet girl like you wouldn't do that to-"

His words were cut off by the sound of shattering porcelain. I used the shock to snatch the coin away, pausing at the door. "Your wife will thank me".

* * *

I stood outside the door to the ratway, holding the three coin purses in my hand. I could leave now. Simply disappear. I was four hundred septims richer than I was yesterday, four hundred septims richer than I had been in a long time. With this money I might even be able to get to Daggerfall, see if my mother, if I, had any remaining family. Besides, four hundred septims in one day was lucky, and I tried not to push my luck.

"I heard you were quite crafty in dealing with them" Brynjolf said when I finally made the decision to return.

I shrugged, exchanging my three hundred for one hundred had been hard, but my gut told me to. My gut was usually right.

"I guess it's time for you to meet the boss".

"Good, you're finally here" The guildmaster, Mercer Frey, said, snapping a book shut.

I looked up at him. He certainly didn't fit the image of what 'guild master' inspired in me. I had thought it would be some old man with white hair and leathery skin, maybe even blind, but a legend. Or perhaps some sort of prodigy, younger, with rugged and chiseled features. Mercer didn't fit either of those. He was rugged, sure, but more in a 'I lost a fight' way than a 'I fought fifty saber cats with nothing but a rusty dagger and didn't even break a sweat' kind of way. Still, his eyes were a nice shade of green and I could tell he was at least fit beneath his armor. His hair was only beginning to gray. All in all, I probably wouldn't have noticed him in a crowd, but then again, that was probably the point.

I didn't pay much attention to whatever speech he was giving. I was a bit distracted by water dripping from the ceiling. His voice was also a little nasally and rough. I did make one comment about how I didn't think that thieves should have rules. I could have sworn he smirked right before berating me.

"Do I make myself clear?" He growled.

"Yes Sir" I said in my best impression of an imperial soldier.

The guildmaster rolled his eyes and turned away.

"I'd say that went well"

I turned to Brynjolf. "He seems grumpy"

The nord chuckled. "Don't let him hear you say that. You can go see Tonilia for your armor, you're one of us now. You seem competent enough but training will still do you some good. We can start tomorrow. Oh, and that bed and chest are yours" He pointed across the room.


	4. Chapter 4

It only took me an hour to figure out how to put the armor on, and I was not looking forward to taking it off. Tonilia had given me half-warning, half-threat, when she had given it to me. Everyone else I tried to talk to did the same. Vex, an imperial had told me something about not replacing her as the guild's infiltrator. The barkeep, Vekel only said that I needed to pay for my drinks. The bouncer only grunted. Delvin was nice to me, but he was full of warnings, saying something about a curse on the guild.

I did some petty jobs within the Rift for Vex and Delvin, I was guessing that no one trusted me enough to let me go any further. They paid a bit less, but anything was more coin than I had been making before.

Then there was the matter of Mercer.

"For the love of Mara fix your foot. I could topple you with a breath"

I flinched at that grating voice, refraining from sending a glare his way, trying to focus on Brynjolf's attacks.

"Is that really how you think you hold a sword, girl?"

Brynjolf stopped. "Mercer it's just basic defense, she doesn't need to be a master-"

"Basic defense? The girl couldn't fight off an old man"

"I can think of one old man I'd like to fight" I mumbled, letting my sword drop.

"You wouldn't survive a second".

Mercer had begun to sit in on my lessons about a week in. At first, I thought that he was trying to chase me off, but then Vex had told me that he was the one who ordered that I stay in the Rift.  
I then did the most mature thing I could muster. I let my sword fall on the ground and stormed out.

"Adelie" Brynjolf called after me, but I was having none of it.

Brynjolf found me soon after, sitting outside the ratway door, throwing stones into the river.

"Well, lass, it couldn't have been that bad if he's sending you on a real job now"

I looked up.

Brynjolf nodded. "In Solitude"

"Really?"

He nodded again. "You'll be going with Sapphire"

"Of course I get a babysitter" I threw another stone in the river.

"I wouldn't say that, lass. It's a big enough job that two experienced guild members were supposed to go, but Mercer is sending you instead"

* * *

"Listen up, newbie" Sapphire (who turned out to be the woman berating a redguard when I entered the city) was every bit as terrifying as I remembered her "Contrary to popular belief, I plan on getting back to Riften _alive_. So you're going to do exactly what I say, when I say it. Got it?"

I nodded.

"Good" She slumped down into the chair across from me. She put her elbows on her knees, leaning forward and lowering her voice so none of the other patrons of the Winking Skeever could hear. "Okay, so here's the deal. Tomorrow night, the mark is importing shipment of furs. We're going to sneak onto the boat and change the shipping information so half are unloaded to our contact, and he'll get them back to Riften to be fenced".

"And tonight?"

"Tonight, we're going to empty some coffers".

We waited until it was past midnight before slipping out of the inn. We split up and began to hit every place we could think of. Sapphire headed to the blue palace and the thanes' houses, and I took the shopping district, earning a heavy bag of fine jewelry from Radiant Raiment, and quite a few gems and plenty of coin from the rest of the town's strong boxes. I was careful to leave enough that the shopkeeper wouldn't immediately be suspicious, Sapphire had warned that we might have to stay in town until the late afternoon, depending on when the ship got in. We met back at the Winking Skeever just before dawn.

She nodded at my haul. "Not bad for your first time. Mercer might even let you keep some of it"

"Really?" I asked as I sat down in the chair.

Sapphire nodded, holding a circlet up to the light. "Yeah, it's not bad- What are you doing?"

I stopped, in the middle of taking my boot off. "Getting ready for bed?"

"No. We're going to the docks now. Can't risk missing that boat".

I sighed, pulling my boot back on and following her out to the docks.

We sat perched on a rock overlooking the harbor, obscured from everyone on the docks below and the road above. She handed me a loaf of bread and an apple.

I tore the bread in half. "So… Sapphire is quite the name".

I flinched. I could feel it before she even opened her mouth.

"Look. I don't know you, I don't really know anyone in the guild. Why do you care anyway. It's not like we're a family. This is a business" She snapped.

I tried not to shrink away from her too much. "Just trying to pass the time".

She had turned towards me. "Look. You wanna know all about me? I'll tell you. I'll tell you about how when I was a young girl, barely out of my teens, living on a _pig farm_ in the middle of _nowhere_. Didn't have a coin to spend in our entire family, we ate the same _slop_ we fed to our livestock".

"I-I didn't realize-"

"Oh wait. It gets _much_ better. How about the fact that our farm was attacked by bandits who killed my _entire_ family who didn't brandish a single weapon against them. Oh, and here's the best part. They took me as a prize and violated me for a fortnight. Tossed me from bandit to bandit like… like…" Her chest was heaving shallowly.

Delicately, I put a hand on her shoulder. When she didn't immediately cut it off I spoke. "You don't have to keep going".

Her breathing evened out. "It's fine" her voice wasn't angry. "I had to tell someone. Carrying around that weight, it cuts you up, like a dagger to the heart. Anyway, I gained their confidence. Then one night I grabbed a knife and slit all their throats as they slept… That's my story. What do you think?" She almost seemed friendly.

"It was just that your name…"

She chuckled, "I gave that to myself. I always liked to pick up shiny rocks as a girl. A traveling salesman stopped at our farm once, he had a sapphire. As soon as I saw it I was hooked"

I nodded, looking over the bay. We sat in silence for awhile, I quietly chewed my bread and tried not to think of the intimate retelling of her life.

"And you?"

"Me what?"

She leaned back. "Well you know my entire life, I should know yours too"

I picked the stem off the apple. "It's not terribly interesting"

"Interesting isn't always a good thing"

 _You have that much right._ "My mother was a Breton and my father was a Nord-"

"I was wondering about that"

I nodded. "People always think I'm a just a Breton. But she was a mage studying in Cyrodiil, and he fought in the Great War. I came along and she decided to drop everything to move to Skyrim. They settled just outside Helgen"

"The Great War?"

"A few years after"

"You're still a baby then"

"I'm eighteen!"

Sapphire laughed. "Keep going. It sounds nice".

I frowned. "My mother died of bone rot when I was five. My father was supposed to be working to buy her medicine but he drank every coin he earned and gambled away every coin he didn't drink. And he wasn't very good at it. He kept going after she died too. When I was thirteen I woke up one day and he was just… gone. I waited, even though I knew he wasn't coming back. So I left. I just started walking. When I got to the next town I begged some, stole some, went to the next place and did the same. I guess until I got to Riften".

"That sounds… less nice"

I laughed. "Better than yours". _Shouldn't have said that._

But she laughed. "Better than mine" Suddenly she was on her feet. "That's the ship".

I got up too.

"What in the name of Talos?"

I looked at the boat. "You're sure that's it?"

She nodded.

I chewed my lip. "Maybe they're below deck?"

"They better be" she growled, moving down towards the docks.

 _Oh boy_.

"Delvin _specifically said_ that it was a shipment of _very expensive furs!"_ Sapphire was irate.

I looked at the massive log at my shoulder. "Maybe he heard firs, like with an 'i'"

"Frey is going to be furious".

"We still have the loot from last night?"

"Petty shit. This was supposed to be _big_ "

"Well if we don't keep any of our-"

"I don't think you understand the position the guild is in. We're _broke,_ Adelie. The guild has no money. The guild needed this. And to think I left the brotherhood for this…"

"What?"

"The old man thinks its some kind of curse. And it must be" She added, punching one of the logs.

The idea struck me. "Sapphire"

"Shut up and let me think"

"No, _Sapphire_ ", I grabbed her shoulder. "Delvin said this was a shipment of _very expensive_ firs"

"I literally just said that"

"Very expensive" I repeated.

"They might be but there's no way we can just steal a few logs and-"

"No. We steal the payment."

She looked at me, eyebrows raised.

"I looked at the books. It said 'payment upon delivery'. What better to bring back than gold?"

She placed the heel of her hand on her temple, eyes closed in thought. "You know, that might just work"

* * *

"What do you mean you didn't steal any furs?" Mercer spoke slowly in that nasally voice of his. Just as Sapphire predicted, he was livid.

"I mean there weren't any furs to steal" Sapphire stood straight, her hands on her hips, looking Mercer directly in the eye. I couldn't decide who I was more scared of.

"No, no. I specifically heard 'em talking 'bout a shipment of 'igh quality furs" Delvin cut in.

"No" Sapphire snapped. "You heard them talking about a shipment of firs. With an 'i'. Like the tree".

"I'm tellin you. It's this Gods-damned curse"

"Will you _shut up_ about the curse, Delvin?" Mercer snapped.

I wiggled impatiently.

Mercer turned towards me. "And where were you in all of this?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but Sapphire was faster.

"Leave her out of this Mercer. She shouldn't have gone on that job in the first place".

"You'd be wise to leave decisions like that to the guild master" Mercer growled.

Sapphire crossed her arms. Smirking. "In fact, you should be thanking her".

"And why in the name of-" his words died off as Brynjolf placed chest was placed in front of him. Filled to the brim with bars of solid gold and jewels. "What is this?"

"She found something to steal when there was nothing". Brynjolf said.

I looked around. Sapphire was smiling, whether it was from pride or smugness I couldn't tell. On Brynjolf, there was no mistaking that it was the former. Delvin's eyes were glued to the chest, his mouth slightly agape. Mercer's eyes were on me.

"Well, Bryn. You sure know 'ow to pick 'em" Delvin snatched a ruby from the chest, holding it up to the light.

"You sure do" Mercer said, leaning over in his usual position over his desk. His eyes were still glued on me. "But I suspect that there will be no more oversight like this. Now I have to deal with clients that were promised furs…"

"You could go cut down some trees" I suggested.

Sapphire snorted.

"Well, I'd say this calls for a celebration. What were you saying about that curse, Delvin?" Brynjolf placed a hand on my back, smiling broadly. I let him guide me towards the Flagon, but I was still keenly aware of Mercer's gaze boring into my back.


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm tellin' you lass, it was right damn clever what you did there" Delvin said for the fourth time, pushing another bottle of mead on me. "I know plenty of experienced thieves would've given up 'ight then and there".

Vex sighed heavily. "Credit where it's due kid. Not bad for your first real job"

"I think, 'at this girl, might just be the secret, to liftin' the curse"

Tonilia was leaning heavily against Vekel. "Shut up about your curse, Delvin"

I sat uncomfortably in the midst of the revelry. I had never been one to drink, not since my father was my only example of it. I had also never been one for crowds. I did love attention, but not from so many people at once. There were faces that I didn't even recognize among the crowd.

Brynjolf sat next to me, his shoulder only inches away from mine. I looked around, wishing I could sit with Sapphire instead. I didn't like the curve of his smile this many meads in. He was utterly charming, yes, but I couldn't ever tell when it was a farce, a business tactic, or when it was genuine friendliness. He was trying to draw me in further. _He probably knows I'm still not sure about staying._ I thought as he angled his shoulders towards me again.

"What's the matter, lass? Not having fun?"

I smiled, holding up my still-full bottle of mead. "So much fun". I took a sip to show him, turning away as my nose crinkled with the taste.

"Good to hear lass" His hand found my back again.

I slid off the chair. "I think Sapphire was calling me" I said hurriedly, placing my mead down on the counter. I moved carefully towards the door to the cistern, doing my best to look nonchalant.

"Hey! You!" I turned around to see a huge, angry looking nord. "Yeah, you. I wanna talk to you"

 _Oh Gods what have I done now_.

His hand landed heavily on my shoulder. "Damn good move in Solitude, a man can respect that!" He pulled me into a loose headlock.

"Gods, Thrynn, you're gonna crush her!" An imperial man hit Thrynn on the arm.

"Vipir, why don't you go _run_ and get me another drink!" Thrynn laughed boisterously, but he released me.

"Very funny" Vipir didn't seem amused.

"You gonna set a _fleet_ of imperials on me?"

I left while both men were busy, letting out a sigh of relief as the door to the cistern closed behind me. I waited a moment, leaning against the door in case anyone tried to drag me back to the party. I straightened up after a few moments, looking around the cistern. It was usually pretty quiet, but right now the only sound was the soft dripping of water. It would have been unnerving, if I hadn't been craving the quiet.

I pulled out a few lockpicks and headed to the training room, taking a seat cross-legged in front of the master chest.

I frowned as my fifth lockpick snapped. I thought I had been close that time.

"Pretty rude to be leaving a party thrown in your honor".

I jumped, getting on my feet. _How did I not hear him enter?_ "I'm not one for loud, drunk, nords".

"What a miracle. It seems we have something in common, with the rest of Tamriel"

I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath. _Mara, don't let me do anything stupid_.

"Why so tense? You ready for that fight you promised me?" He was cleaning his fingernails with a dagger. _Gross_.

"Fine. Old man". I spat.

Mercer's eyes narrowed. He tossed me a sword.

We stood across from each other. I held my sword evenly in front of me, stance wide. He didn't say anything, just smirked.

"You ready, girl?"

"I am". At least I thought I was. My sword was on the floor. I was also on the floor. Mercer's foot was on my chest, his sword at my neck.

"You're dead".

I grunted, moving out from underneath his foot, grabbing my sword and standing up again.

"Have a death wish, girl?"

I held my sword out, stance wide. I nodded at him. I watched him coming, and I moved to block him. But somehow he ended up behind me, my sword arm in an arm-bar, my other hand twisted against my back. My sword, again, was on the floor.

"You're never going to beat me if you keep doing the same thing over and over". He taunted as he released me.

This time, I didn't wait for him. I ran at him, swinging my sword as hard as I could. He pinned me, bent over one of the bales of hay, my left arm twisted against my back, my right arm outstretched.

"You're never going to learn if you don't listen".

"I still have my sword this time" I replied, trying to wiggle out of his grip. "Mercer. You can let me up now".

"I could" his grip on my wrist loosened. He released my left arm, but kept me firmly pinned against the hay. His hand moved up, brushing my hair away from my neck. "But what's the fun in that?" I could feel his breath against my skin, and… _Gods that_ better _be his sword._

"Adelie?"

Mercer was off me. He was practically across the room, putting away the training swords.

Brynjolf entered the room, looking between the two of us. "Mercer?"

"Her training is less than satisfactory, Brynjolf. I thought I was clear that these sessions were no time for your games" Mercer growled.

The redhead looked at me. "If you wanted to train you could have let me know".

I glanced back at Mercer, feeling the color rise to my cheeks and _what in the world is this feeling in my stomach?_

"I think I'll take over her combat training now" Mercer said.

Brynjolf seemed like he wanted to argue, but he thought better of it. That tone was non-negotiable.


	6. Chapter 6

I picked myself up off the floor for what felt like the hundredth time that hour, rubbing my jaw where the hilt of Mercer's sword had just hit it.

"Brynjolf filled your head with silly notions like footwork and blocking patterns. You need to be able to move. Recognize your opponent and adapt"

I raised my eyebrows, that was the first thing Mercer had said that didn't sound like an outright insult.

"But I don't think all the gold in the world could make you stop lumbering like a giant".

 _There it is_.

"Again" he commanded.

I loosened my grip on the sword, holding it out to the side, my front completely open as Mercer came at me. I was getting more used to his fighting, even though it seemed to change every five seconds. He was obviously very skilled, and probably going easy on me. I turned at the last second, barely dodging the dulled edge of his blade as I stuck my foot out, expecting to trip him. Somehow, I was still the one on the ground.

He was smiling.

"You don't have to gloat" I muttered, rubbing the back of my head.

"That was the first time you managed to dodge an attack. Maybe you aren't completely useless".

He was right, I realized. Before, every single hit had landed, and I doubted that he would just let me win. I smiled too.

* * *

"Do you have anything for me?"

Vex looked up, her face harboring a deeper scowl than usual. "Anything for Mercer's pet" she spat.

I frowned, taking the contract she handed me delicately, as if I would burst into flames if I touched her. I vacated the table, glancing over my shoulder as I went to sit with Delvin.

"Don't mind 'er, she's just pissed that Mercer picked a newbie".

"What?" _Picked?_

"Every guildmaster picks two to train under 'em. Mercer was picked by Gallus. And looks like Mercer picked you. Rubs some the wrong way, you being an outsider and all" he wet his lips "Far as I'm concerned you've proved yourself."

"Who was the other one? That was picked with Mercer?"

Delvin frowned into his bottle. "Sure you'll learn 'bout that when it's time".

"I'm going to go take care of this" I held up the contract to dismiss myself.

It was simple, just emptying the strongbox at Helga's, it took me a matter of minutes. I was already headed back across the marketplace.

"You there"

I looked up. There was a woman, wearing a lush burgundy coat with a jeweled necklace, dark hair pulled away from her face. Her eyebrows were arched in a way that looked almost painful, and her expression said that she was always smelling something unpleasant, but her eyes were strangely predatory. I felt like a rabbit being stared down by a wolf. Behind her was a huge nord man with dark hair, wearing steel armor.

"Yes, you, girl, wipe that stupid expression off your face and follow me". She began walking.

I wondered if she had seen me steal something, or if I had stolen something from her. I looked around for the best escape route, my hand found the hilt of my dagger.

"Don't even think about it" The nord growled.

She led me to one of the nicer houses. The nord didn't follow us in.

"Mercer was kind enough to loan this as our meeting place" The woman said, taking a seat.

I sat across from her. _So she knows Mercer._

"Of course, he should. I gave him the place after all… You don't say too much, do you?"

"You haven't given me any reason to" I replied evenly. I now realized who I was dealing with, Maven Black-Briar was the most powerful person in Riften, perhaps in all of Skyrim, and I was sure that I didn't want to piss her off.

"Good. I have a job that needs to be done and you come highly recommended".

"I can handle it".

"You don't even know what 'it' is".

I crossed my arms and leaned back in the chair. "I wouldn't come highly recommended if I couldn't".

She smirked. "As I'm sure you're aware, there is only one _real_ competitor to the Black-Briar company. I have a plan to take them out permanently, and I need someone with half a brain to execute it for me".

 _You could just try and make your mead taste better_ I thought. "I'm listening".

"You are to travel to Whiterun and speak with my associate, Mallus, and follow his instructions. I trust you can handle that?"

"Sounds easy enough".

* * *

 _I don't think I will ever stop regretting that phrase_ I thought to myself as I stabbed another skeever.

The job had _sounded_ simple. Mallus had said that the Honningbrew Meadery had a skeever infestation. And I would just have to poison the nest and then poison some mead, and then maybe spend another night robbing Whitrerun. What no one had mentioned was that the majority of the skeevers were _twice_ the size and ten times as aggressive as normal skeevers. And that there seemed to be thousands of them.

I had a tear in my armor from where a particularly large one had decided that my arm would make a great snack.

On top of this, the network of tunnels said skeevers called hoe seemed to go on forever. I crouched low to the ground, holding the bow I had enough sense to buy in shaking hands. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to focus on the sounds around the corner. Water dripping. Skeevers clicking… maybe five in the next cavern, maybe the nest was in there. And… I squeezed my eyes shut harder, focusing on the last sound… was that muttering.

I opened my eyes, giving them a moment to adjust before peering around the corner. Two skeevers were sitting outside near the entrance, three more further in the cavern, and, yup. The unmistakable form of a man, standing near what looked like a huge pile of hay. _That must be the nest._

I took out the two skeevers closest to me with two neat arrows before entering the cavern. There was some sort of rock formation near the middle, obscuring me from sight of the remaining skeevers and the man. I crouched behind that and took out two more skeevers.

"What was that?"

I withheld a curse, ducking back down behind the rock just as I saw the man's hands light up with magica. I could hear him and the last skeever moving around behind me. My hand went to the hilt of my borrowed sword.

I drew it as soon as he appeared in front of me, slashing with everything I had. I couldn't hold back the screams as I felt my skin melt underneath my armor, but I kept hitting him, every time the sword cut into his flesh I flinched. Between the idea and the pain I wanted to vomit. I panted, moving closer to him, closer to the flames, and slid the sword into his gut.

He fell, his hands grasping at the bleeding wound, still muttering incoherently as he had been before. A foul smell rose up, through the blood. I couldn't hold it back any longer, I turned and i wretched emptied my stomach. It took me a moment to realize that I hadn't killed the last skeever, and that it was currently trying to kill me. I grabbed my sword and shoved it towards it weakly.

My heart was pounding in my ears, the pain in my left arm and side of my torso was in an indescribable pain. But my eyes were fixed to the motionless body in front of me. I coughed, turning away as my stomach heaved again, but there was nothing less to go. I heard the clinking of glass as my arm fell.

I forced myself to my feet slowly, picking up the bottle of poison as I did. I took a deep breath and emptied it into the nest. Then I walked over to the chest and emptied every health and stamina potion in it. On the bottom was a small, worn, book. I didn't dare read it, but I took it.

To my relief, the rest of the tunnels were devoid of life, and led directly to the storeroom, where all the vats of mead were held. I drank another health potion I found walking to the second floor. "First on the right from the door" I muttered, repeating Mallus's instruction. I opened the top of the vat. Curiously, I dipped my finger into the liquid. It was sweet, earthy, still more bitter than I would have liked with the same sour aftertaste, but it was a great deal better than the Black-Briar reserve.

I emptied the poison.

* * *

"You look like you've been hit pretty hard" Mallus said as soon as the captain of the Whiterun guard has escorted Sabjorn, the former meadery owner out.

The last few hours hadn't really sunk in yet. Right now I just wanted to get to bed. "It's been taken care of. Maven wanted Sabjorn's papers".

"Of course" he handed me a key. "They're in his desk upstairs, you're free to take them all".

I nodded and cleared out the desk.

"Adelie, is it?"

"Yeah?"

"You might want to get to a healer. You look a little ill, there's a temple of Kynareth in the city".

I looked down at the burned flesh on my arm. The health potions had helped a lot, but the gashes from the skeevers were gnarly, and I wouldn't have been surprised if they became infected.

"Yeah, I think I'll do that".

The walk between the meadery and the city was a lot longer than I remembered it, but the promise of cool healing magic and a warm bed was enough to push me forward.

"Hold there" A guard stepped forward as I approached the gates "City's closed with dragons- good Gods woman, what happened to you?"

"I wanted to see the healers, did you say dragons?"

"Yes, of course, this way" The guard signaled the other to open the gate.

He helped me up to the wind district, which I was grateful for, since it was, again, uphill, and showed me to the healers. I sat down as a priestess began to peel my armor off.

"Do you know if any other survivors are headed this way?" The guard asked me.

"Survivors?"

"Don't push her" The priestess scolded, she turned to me. "I can assure you that you're safe here. These burns aren't nearly as bad as they look, they probably won't even scar".

"Why wouldn't I be safe?"

"Shh, just relax" the golden light of the healing spell stopped momentarily. Something cool and blue settled over me. I could feel all my muscles relax. My brain clouded and it felt like my stomach untwisted. I closed my eyes.

"Feeling better?"

I opened my eyes, looking around. It took me a moment to remember where I was, I looked up into the kind face of the priestess.

"Can you tell me your name?" She asked gently.

"Adelie".

"Adelie, do you know where you are?"

"In Whiterun".

She nodded. "And do you know what day it is?"

"Umm… Turdas- no, Fridas"

She sat down on the edge of my bed. "Adelie. I know it's difficult but the Jarl is going to want to know about what happened".

I chewed my lip. _The Jarl? Did the captain somehow figure out that I poisoned the mead._ "I don't think-"

"It's very important for everyone's safety, Adelie. Do you have any family I can contact?"

I shook my head.

"I see. Is there anything you want?"

"I just want to go home" I muttered, trying not to let the tears well in my eyes.

For some reason, she pulled me into an embrace. She stroked my hair. "I know, I know dear".

When she left I stood, testing my legs and arms. I walked over to the stream of water that ran around the perimeter of the temple, crouching down to look at my reflection. I had been washed. My hair was in thick messy waves. I ran my hand through its length, I had never let it grow this long while I was living on the streets. My eyes were still brown. My freckles hadn't changed. My cheekbones were high and sharp like my mother's, my lips full and pink. I didn't look at all like I had almost been killed by a maniac.

I smiled as I stood, relishing the feeling of the soft robes against my skin. _Robes?_ I grasped at them, looking around frantically.

"Everything alright?" A priest approached from behind.

"Where is my armor?"

"Someone just took it to get repaired, we thought it would be a nice surprise"

I bolted out the door, my thoughts on the papers. I had stuck them in one of the hidden pockets, but if someone was going to repair it there was a good chance they would be found. Not to mention the inexplicable amount of other stolen items I was carrying. I just couldn't help myself when someone wore anything shiny. I had a field day at the inn when meeting Mallus.

I sighed in relief as I saw that the man taking my armor hadn't made it to the blacksmith yet. I snatched it away from him, panting.

"What in the world"

I patted the pockets, feeling that the bundle of paperwork and jewelry was still there.

"Miss Adelie are you-"

"You shouldn't touch other people's stuff" I snapped at the priest who had followed me.

I then turned and walked out the gates of the city.


	7. Chapter 7

"Where's Mercer?!" I shouted as soon as I got into the cistern, looking around wildly.

After my body had recovered from the tunnels, it didn't take long for my mind to catch up, bringing on a whole other level of pain. The lunatic had been my first kill, my first _real_ fight. The first one that was truly life or death, and winning brought no solace. Then there was the fact that the three of them, Maven, Mallus, and Mercer _knew_ about the lunatic, and that Mercer had known how hopeless I was in a fight, and that they had sent me in anyways. To add insult to injury, the richest woman in Riften gave me an iron dagger with a simple enchantment as a 'generous' reward. I had the two-day journey to wallow in self-pity; to be mad at myself for taking a life. Now, I was just _mad_.

"Where is he?"

Brynjolf held up his hands. "He said he had some personal business to take care of, he should be back soon".

"I know _exactly_ where he is" I spat, turning on my heel.

I stood in the night air banging on the oak door shouting his name until he opened it. I knocked one more time, accidentally/on purpose hitting him on the chest.

"Good to hear you came back" He drawled sarcastically, stepping out of the doorway to let me in.

"You _bastard_ " I spat, pacing the open floor.

"You wound me" He calmly closed and barred the door behind me.

I threw the book at him.

"What's this?"

"You _knew._ You _knew_ and you didn't tell me. I almost _died,_ Mercer. I almost got caught".

He flipped through the journal. "That only says you're a poor swordsman and a terrible thief".

"You could have told me". I wanted to hit him.

"If everyone was told exactly who and how they have to fight, combat wouldn't be considered a _skill_ , would it? Perhaps now that you know what it's really like you'll take your lessons seriously" He snapped the book shut, looking at me. There was something searching about his gaze. "I'm surprised you came back".

"Why wouldn't I?" My steam had run out. I didn't know how I had expected this conversation again, but I had thought that it would be more satisfying.

He moved towards me in slow, easy steps. His hand found the tear in my armor. "Recent events made many believe you wouldn't".

I didn't move away from his touch "What?"

When his eyes met mine I was keenly aware of how close his face was. "You haven't heard? You must really be dense".

"Heard what?"

"Helgen was attacked by a dragon. The whole town was destroyed".

My mouth felt dry. I hadn't thought about what the gate guard had said or the strange behavior of the priest and priestess since I'd left. I hadn't thought of my former home since I joined the guild. I had the sudden urge to go there, to that abandoned house where my mother had died and my father had left… if it was even still there. I could feel panic rising into my chest as the lump rose into my throat.

"You're right, I shouldn't have come back" I started moving, pacing. I had to move. I couldn't sit still. I needed to leave, to see if it was still standing. "Ah- Maven wanted you to look at this" I remembered, handing him the paper. "I-I think that I'm going to leave. Yeah, I'm going to leave".

Mercer wasn't reading the paper. He was looking at me. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I shouldn't have come back" I muttered, reaching for the door bar.

He grabbed my hand, simultaneously pushing me against the wall. It was powerful, but not rough. I glanced at the door, then at him. His face was inches from mine. I couldn't decide which I wanted.

"I knew, Adelie, I knew the second you walked into the city that something was going to change".

I looked at him, not sure what he was talking about. I think that was the first time he used my name. I searched his face. His eyes were deep green and intense. The salt and pepper stubble brought out the strong square of his jaw, and his nose was not nearly as crooked as I initially thought. That strange feeling returned to my stomach.

"I just have to make sure that change is to my advantage. You're staying right here, Adelie".

It felt weird to hear my name from his mouth.

"Mercer what are you talking-"

His mouth was suddenly on mine, strong and hungry. He released my wrist, letting that hand twist into my hair instead, his other wrapping around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I began to return his kiss, but I pulled back.

"Do you want to stop?" I could feel his lips brushing against my cheek as he spoke.

My heart beat wildly against my chest. I looked towards the door again. I closed my eyes, feeling his lips brush my neck. "No. Keep going".

He didn't need to be told twice.

I must have dozed off. I turned over, and found the bed next to me empty, not that I had expected him to be there. I yawned as I stretched out, glancing down at my body and all the little bruises that appeared. I smiled to myself, tracing the outline of one, wondering if I had given as good as I got. The smile disappeared when I remembered what I needed to do. I pulled on my armor slowly, muscles aching and slipped silently out the back door of the house, forcing myself to be just a shadow until I was out of the city gates.

Smoke was still rising from the ruins. The tall towers were toppled; chunks of the walls were missing. The gate swung open without resistance. I chewed my lip as I walked through the city. Most of the road was blocked by debris. Lumps of smoldering ash decorated every corner, outnumbered only by the bodies. The hardest to believe was that it was empty. For as long as I could remember, Helgen was a bustling town. As the southernmost city it was the first place Imperial soldiers were stationed. The steady stream of soldiers made the businesses prosperous, perhaps even more so than Whiterun, Skyrim's trade center. I found myself standing in the middle of the inn, right where a table had been, looking up into the blue sky. The ceiling was gone. The people were gone. The town was gone.

I moved out the southern road. The turnoff was mostly overgrown now, anyone else probably would have missed it. I followed the short path to the house. I stood in front of it, my hands on my hips. It was smaller than I remembered it. Someone had gone in and boarded up the windows. It was unnecessary. We could never afford glass, the holes in the wall had always just been covered by furs.

The door swung open as soon as I touched it. I jumped as a skeever skittered out, disappearing into the forest. I stepped inside. Dust rose with every footfall as I paced the length of the house.

Someone took most of the furniture. Only one chair and my mother's bed remained. No one had touched it since she died. Maybe it was cursed. I walked over to it, staring at the wooden frame.

I couldn't remember her face.

I sat in front of the house with my knees tucked up against my chest and watched the shadows grow.

* * *

 _A/N: Shout out to ScienceGuy23 for letting me know that I needed to set the scene up better. I'm pretty new to writing fiction of any kind, so I appreciate all the feedback I can get. I was depending on formatting to help with my transitions, and didn't realize that I had lost it when uploading (huge oversight on my part, oops), but I think (hope) that I've fixed it now. Other than that, I'm glad you like the story so far, thanks for the follow, and thanks to everyone else who has fav/followed so far!  
_


	8. Chapter 8

"I thought you might be here".

I didn't lift my head off my knees. _Maybe if I just close my eyes she'll leave_.

I felt her sit down next to me. We sat in silence. I half expected her to be gone, just something I imagined by the time I lifted my head up. She was still there.

"How did you find me?"

"You left a trail" Sapphire said simply, pointing at a flattened patch of grass.

"Why?"

"I know what it's like to lose everything suddenly".

I buried my face in my knees again. "I didn't though. Everything left in steps, a long time ago".

"You still thought it would come back, though"

I looked up at her.

"You said you knew your father wasn't coming back. But I know there was a part of you that still hoped. I had it too. That" she pointed at the smoke that could be seen above the trees "is just the final straw".

I didn't respond. I still couldn't remember my mother's face.

"You know. I never did go back to that pig farm. There's nothing left for me there", she stood, looking around, before turning to me and offering her hand. "Let's go back to where there is".

I stared at her hand. "It's not like we're family".

"The guild might not be. But we could".

I took her hand.

"You're back" Mercer growled as Sapphire and I entered the cistern. He had taken his usual place at his desk. "If you're done gallivanting across Skyrim, there's work to be done. Adelie, get over here".

I gave a nervous, parting glance to Sapphire. She had warned that he might be angry. I didn't know what I was in for, especially after the last time we saw each other, _maybe_ that's _what he wants to talk about?_

Mercer held up Sabjorn's paper to me. I had already read it. "Do you recognize this symbol?"

I looked at it, chewing on my lip as I did. It looked like a dagger with a twisted blade inside a black circle. I shook my head.

"Brynjolf doesn't either", he set the paper back down. His brow furrowed as he looked at it. "Are you satisfied?"

"With what?"

The guildmaster looked up at me, I couldn't read his expression. "With what you found".

"What I found…?"

"Surely you can't be _this_ dense, girl. I know where you went. Was the trip to see a pile of ash and rubble worth it?"

I frowned at the question. Of course everything that came out of his mouth sounded like an outright insult, but could it be that he was worried about me? "No. It wasn't".

"Try not to waste your energy on petty trips like that again. You're dismissed".

I sighed as I walked away. I suppose it was too much to ask for an honest conversation. I didn't really know what to do. It could be that he felt no emotional connection, that everything for him was purely physical. Everyone trusted Mercer, well, trusted him enough, but that didn't mean that he was popular. Far from it, in fact, Brynjolf had told me only to speak to him when it's completely necessary. I needed air.

I sat perched on a tombstone in the cemetery behind the Temple of Mara, staring absently at the diamond and circle that marked the largest tomb as the entrance to the guild. I couldn't help but wonder how I had gotten here. If someone had asked me a year ago the last place I wanted to be, I would have said a sewer. Sure, it didn't smell as bad as it could have, and I had quickly gotten used to the way that it _did_ smell, but it was wet. And dark. I thought I hated both of those things. I wasn't ready to call it _home_ yet, but it was preferable to huddling under an abandoned awning at night, only to be chased off by the property owner. Not to mention that I owned more than one set of clothing, and since joining the guild I never went hungry. All in all, it was okay. But I was sure that I didn't want this to be the rest of my life.

I wondered if I had enough money saved to go to Daggerfall. I probably had enough for passage, but there was no guarantee that any of my mother's family was still living. And if they were, would they even take me in? My mother never talked about them, but it was clear that they didn't part on good terms. The thought had crossed my mind that my father might still be out there, but that wasn't something I was ready to handle.

"You alright, lass?"

I straightened my legs, they had fallen asleep. "Just thinking. A lot has happened recently".

Brynjolf's eyebrows knitted together with concern. "I heard, lass. Did you… find what you were looking for?"

"I found what I needed. I think" I didn't know.

The nord but his arm around me. He smelled sweet, like good mead and flowers. "You can talk about it, if you want to".

I shook my head and pulled away from him.

"Mercer was furious when you left" Brynjolf said, his arm continuing to rest across my shoulders. "It was kind of odd. We all assumed you to were out training, but he came back demanding to know where you were. I volunteered to help look but Sapphire insisted on going by herself".

"She's a good friend" I mumbled.

Brynjolf peered down at me, "I don't think our Sapphire has ever been the friendly type".

I was about to respond, but Brynjolf suddenly revoked his arm and stood up straight. I almost protested, the contact had been comforting even if it wasn't asked for.

"There you are" I recognized the gravelly voice before Mercer had even rounded the corner. He narrowed his eyes at me and Brynjolf. "It's disappointing that I'm always out having to track you down. You're late for training".

"Don't you think she deserves a break after everything?"

I glanced at Brynjolf, wishing he hadn't said anything.

"If anything, this just proves that she needs to train harder. Unless, of course," he turned to me "you would rather be dependent on a body guard every time you went on a job. If you're even able to afford one, the way you've been botching jobs lately. I'm sure Brynjolf would be more than _happy_ to volunteer".

Dependent. No. I could never be dependent. I slid off the headstone.

Mercer smirked. "Good. Let's get going then".

I nodded and moved towards where Brynjolf had disappeared into the tomb, hesitating when Mercer didn't follow me. When I turned to look at him I noticed that he was moving in a completely different direction. I hurried to follow him. We went around the outer wall to the city, turning into one of the fenced off yards of the wealthier Riften citizens. I frowned, noticing what I assumed was a private guard in it. Mercer had the key to the gate, which confused me even more. He opened the gate, gesturing me through.

"Vald" he called. The guard approached. "This is Adelie. You're not to give her any trouble when she stops by, got it?"

The guard nodded.

"Good" Mercer said in response. It was then that I realized this was the back entrance to his house, the one that Maven Black-Briar had gifted him. He unlocked the door and ushered me in.

"I thought you said that I had to train" I said nervously, looking around the room.

"You have far exceeded my expectations thus far. Perhaps Brynjolf was right, you deserve a break".

I searched his expression, waiting for it to be a joke. I frowned, it was true that I was learning quickly. I was still nowhere near his level, but he said that I 'might be able to handle a drunk bandit', which was the closest thing to praise I could probably expect. My hands were covered in fine callouses, holding the sword no longer hurt. I had gotten a lot faster, I was able to dodge most of his simpler attacks, and block the ones I couldn't. None of my hits were landing, but I thought that those had improved too.

I watched Mercer carefully as he paced around me. His hands found my waist, arms wrapping around me from behind. His mouth on my neck, teeth closing gently around the exposed flesh.

"Of course if you'd rather train…"

I spun, grabbing the front of his armor and pushing him against the wall. I didn't know where it came from, but I suddenly knew exactly what to do. I grinned at the expression on his face, shocked that I had gotten the best of him. He didn't seem too upset when I pressed my mouth against his, letting his hands on me once again, undoing the many straps and buckles of my armor.

It was dark when I woke up, exhausted and sore, but immensely satisfied. I smiled softly as I stretched my hand over the empty mattress next to me feeling for the edge of the bed. I closed my eyes, willing myself to get up. I had never laid on anything so soft, the blankets were so silky. It was enough to want to lay there forever. I slowly raised myself up and swung my legs out of bed. I reached over to the pile of clothing on the floor and fished out a tunic and pulled it on. Slowly, I swung my legs out of bed. The chill in the air made the fine hairs on my legs stand up as I wandered out of the bedroom, peeking around corners and through doors.

"Planning on leaving?" Mercer's voice floated from behind me, softer than it usually was.

I turned to look at him. He stood with his arms crossed, wearing a loose pair of linen trousers. His hair was still a mess. "You left first".

"On the contrary, I've been here the whole time. You look so very… vulnerable in your sleep" he moved towards me, catching a lock of my chestnut hair. He let it slide between his fingers, a small smile playing on his lips.

I let my eyes wander his figure, wondering exactly what I had gotten myself into. Both times, it had merely been an escape, a way for me to divert my thoughts. I didn't know what is had been for him, if it had been anything. Mercer's hand moved down my body, to the hem of my tunic.

"You're wearing my shirt"

I looked down at it. I usually wore tunics that were a bit too big, but this one was especially oversized. I slid my hands back into my sleeves. "You're right".

"Adelie" he clucked, tilting my chin towards him.

We somehow both ended up in bed again. I laid facing away from him, feeling the tips of his fingers trace the tiny purple bruises and many freckles that now dotted my body. "Mercer"

"Hmm"

I took a shaky breath. "I'm going to leave the guild".

His hand froze.

"Not now" I added quickly. "Not now. But when I have enough money, I'm going to go… somewhere. To Daggerfall, probably. To see if I have any family left".

When he didn't respond I rolled to look at him. His expression had returned to its usual unreadable state, mouth set in a hard line, eyes solid.

"No" he finally said.

I sat up. "What do you mean no?" part of me was flattered. Maybe he cared, he wanted me to stay. The other part of me wanted to hit him, to say that this wasn't his choice.

"You made a commitment to the guild" he sounded angry. "You might not have realized this, but the guild is in a bad place, and has been until you showed up. What kind of a person would dodge that kind of responsibility?"

Now it was my turn. "What kind of a person indeed". I got out of bed and pulled on my trousers and shirt, balling my armor up as I stormed out. I was sure the slam the door on the way.


	9. Chapter 9

I had finished putting on the rest of my armor and was pacing the graveyard, trying to calm down. _How dare he compare me to_ him _!_ I spat at myself. _He doesn't even know_ I tried to reason. It wasn't working I was still mad.

I looked up as a hunched over figure approached, maybe limping a little bit, it was hard to tell in the dark. I frowned as they came closer.

"Vex?"

The Imperial pulled her hood down. A trail of blood was dried onto the corner of her mouth. "Hey kid. A little help here".

I nodded, hurrying to take one of her arms. She looked pretty beat up. "What happened?"

"I don't think I want to repeat this story more than once. Just help me get inside"

I nodded. If she was still snapping at me it couldn't be too serious. I helped her down the ladder, calling for Brynjolf.

"By the gods, what happened to you?" he asked as he took her other arm.

"Where's Mercer?"

Brynjolf looked at me.

"He uh… had to do some paperwork. I think he'll be here soon" I said as we set Vex down on my bed. I turned, rummaging through my chest for some potions. I pressed a red bottle into her hand as Mercer came in from the Flagon.

"What happened here?" He demanded as he approached.

"I ran into some trouble at Goldenglow" she spat as she took another potion from me.

"That should have been an easy in-and-out job"

"We were set up, Mercer. There were guards everywhere. Mercenaries, the good ones. Aringoth doesn't want us to find whatever he's hiding"

"He must have known Maven would send us" Brynjolf mused.

"Mercenaries or not, the job needs to get done" Mercer crossed his arms, looking down at Vex. "How long until you're able to try again?"

Vex started her third potion. "They got me pretty good. I think my rib is broken and this one probably needs stitches" she straightened, moving her hand off a particularly large gash in her side.

Mercer cursed.

I looked between the three of them, fixing my glare on the guild master. _What kind of a person indeed?_ "I'll go".

They looked at me.

"Lass, if our Vex couldn't handle it then-"

"No" Mercer was smirking. "If she thinks that she can do it, why don't we let her try. The worst that could happen is we have one less mouth to feed. Brynjolf, why don't you fill her in".

Brynjolf watched as Mercer walked away. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but he didn't. "Lass this really isn't a good idea. If Vex couldn't then you-"

"Why not? Mercer has been training me for months. You don't know where I'm at right now"

"Mercer does though. And even he thinks you can't-"

I crossed my arms. "Well I can't let him be right"

Vex let out a laugh, wincing as she did. "That's what I like to hear, kid".

Brynjolf sighed and slumped down into a chair. "I guess you might as well know what you're up against".

* * *

I crept at a painstakingly slow pace along the bridge and then around the edge of the island, trying not to look at the dark waters below. I found my way to the northeast edge, to the sewer as Vex had instructed. I opened it hesitantly, peering down into the darkness below. I lowered myself in, lighting the torch that Brynjolf suggested I bring. I was glad for it now.

I moved slowly through the sewers, trying not to think about what was under the thin layer of oil that I was walking on. I listened for any sounds that didn't fit in with the regular dripping of water, as I continued down the tunnel. It was supposed to be short, but the darkness beyond the light of the torch made it seem like it went on forever.

I froze, thinking I heard something. It didn't reoccur so I continued, peering into the darkness. Something moved in the corner of my eye. I barely had time to turn when I recognized the chittering screech. I was barely able to stifle my scream. I dropped the torch while reaching for my sword. I couldn't deal with any more skeevers. I felt the heat rise, saw the flash of orange and red. I forced myself into an alcove, my leg slid between the iron bars of the grate that separated me from the lower level, but at least I was away from the flames.

I carefully pulled myself free, moving back into the main tunnel as soon as the oil had burned up. I reached a wider section of the sewer, which held a few more skeever carcasses as well as a human skeleton. It wasn't much longer before I reached the ladder back to the surface. I popped my head out, waiting for my eyes to adjust from the near pitch-darkness of the sewer to the softer dark of the night. Once I was sure no mercenaries were near I pulled myself out.

The house was directly in front of me, with a conveniently placed door. I pressed the handle. _You should be so lucky_ I thought bitterly as it stuck stubbornly in the locked position. I crept around the corner of the house, looking for another entrance. There was another entrance. There was also a grotesquely large man between me and said entrance. I cursed silently to myself. There was no way I would be able to sneak right in front of him. _Unless I hide underneath his big belly_.

I turned back to the first door and produced my lockpicks. It took nearly half of them before I finally got that satisfying _click_.

I opened the door softly, peering around the room to make sure it was free of guards. _They're too confident in locks_ , I thought after seeing it was clear. The rest of the way was simple enough, except for the fact that the house was huge and someone like me, with absolutely no sense of direction, was in very real danger of getting lost, and that there was a guard at literally every corner past that first room.

Still, I managed. I avoided all the guards with their huge shoulders and pointy swords, when I reached the iron door that led to the cellar and then the basement.

But there were more guards down here. I frowned, staring at the guard who was sitting in a chair directly in front of me, content with staring at the wall. I looked from the oil on the ground to the torch on the wall, but the image of the lunatic, body bent in a position that could by no means be comfortable, rose into my mind. I shook it out of my head. _Stay focused, Adelie._ I moved back down the hall. That was when I saw the room. It only held a bunch of antlers and deerskins. But the door worked. I grabbed an antler, plan formulating.

I coughed loudly, sinking into the shadows just outside the door. I heard the mercenary get up. I heard him draw his sword. I watched as he rounded the corner, passing by me and into the room. As soon as he was inside I moved. I had the door shut, antler lodged beneath the doorknob and past the frame, effectively locking the mercenary in. Hopefully by the time he broke it I would be out.

I found the safe and was able to open it without too much difficulty. I also emptied a nearby chest, just for myself. I sucked in my breath when I saw the trap door.

 _Back to the sewers_.

By the time I made it out there was a gray ring around the horizon. I frowned, it meant that I had maybe an hour minutes before I would be completely visible. I rounded the corner frowning at the amount of guards that were outside. There was no way I'd be able to sneak all the way to the beehives.

I tightened my boots, searching for an alternative. I took a deep breath, trying to convince myself that this wasn't a suicide mission. _Here we go._ I ran forward in a mad sprint. There would be nothing that would stop me from reaching those beehives. _But then what?_ I cursed as I realized that I didn't have anything to burn the hives with. I had left my burnt-out torch in the sewer, and hadn't had the foresight to take one from the basement. Nor did I know any of those spells Bretons were supposed to be so good at. My steps slowed as I looked over my shoulder at the approaching guards. Their swords gleamed in the torchlight.

 _Torchlight._

I ducked behind one of the hives, waiting for them to approach. My success, and frankly my life, depended on them being as clumsy as they looked. _Mercenaries, the good kind_ , Vex had said.

I waited, one mercenary came close to my hiding place. I jumped out, startling him enough that a spark exited his torch and landed right in the dry hay of a beehive. I smirked to myself as the smoke began to rise. _Two to go_.

I ran around to another one, watching as the mercenaries followed. I turned to one, drawing my own sword. All I needed to do was disarm one torch, while fending off five others. With Mercer's training, that had to be easy, right? Maybe not. But I did it anyway, chucking the torch into a second beehive. Last one? I dodged a mace headed for my face and barreled into another mercenary. He fell backwards into the beehive, with his torch.

Now, I _really_ ran like hell.


	10. Chapter 10

"And you just ran away?"

I nodded, squirming in my seat. I still wasn't used to this much attention at once.

"And they didn't catch you?"

I shook my head.

"Hey, Vipir. Looks like newbie is giving you a _run_ for your money!" Thrynn shouted.

"Shut up" Vipir replied.

"And if we're all done wasting time" Mercer's voice cut through, instantly ruining the revelry. "There's work to be done. And you" he turned to me "You would have never been able to do that without my training"

I took a sip of my drink. "Or maybe, I'm just incredibly lucky".

Mercer's face twisted a little, but it quickly settled back into its usual unreadable state. "Well if you want that 'luck' to continue, I would suggest not being late for your training again".

I pouted as I slid off the table I was perched on and followed him into the cistern and the training room.

"Any more silly notions about leaving Skyrim?" He asked as I parried a blow.

"No. You're right. I'm good at what I do and the guild needs that" I ducked underneath his blade and attempted to sweep him off his feet, he dodged easily.

"Good. Although I might admit my response was not solely for the guild's welfare".

"Wha-?"

"Stay focused, Adelie" he said, the tip of his sword hovering over my throat.

I cursed, pushing his dwarven sword away. Mercer had decided that I was now capable enough to use real weapons. I had bought a new steel sword for the occasion.

"We're going out on heist tomorrow. I suggest you prepare yourself".

"Together?"

Mercer rolled his eyes. "You need more practice in the field"

"With you?"

"Unless you'd rather have someone else go" he growled.

I smiled. "I'll be ready"

* * *

We left to Markarth by carriage the next morning, dressed in normal clothing, our armor in our traveling packs. I was restless, the cross-country journey would take a while, we would be gone for about a week, so long as everything ran smoothly. It would also be the longest time I spent with Mercer alone. I was optimistic about it, but just barely.

It was raining when we arrived. Thunder echoed between the mountains, the water made the stones slick. Mercer ushered me quickly to the inn, which was mercifully close to the gate.

"One room for my wife and I" Mercer said at the counter.

The man sneered at the two of us. I was positively beaming. Of course, husband and wife was a convenient cover for a man and a woman traveling together, but he could have easily said sister. "Enjoy it while you can. Only a matter of time until she becomes a nagging she-beast"

I was slightly taken aback. Me? A nagging she beast?

"Just wait til you discover that _he_ was always a lying son of a-"

And that must be the nagging she beast. I was surprised that the inn was as full as it was with this kind of hospitality. Perhaps it just added entertainment.

Mercer shut the door behind us as he rummaged through his pack, tossing a dry tunic at me.

I caught it, looking up at him.

"I can hear your skin crawling" he explained, gesturing to my wet dress.

I smiled as I changed, thrilled that he had remembered my hatred of the wet. "What a considerate husband I have"

Mercer glared at me from the corner of his eye as he continued to pull out the stack of paper that held the job details, but he didn't reply.

"We're going to start scouting as soon as it gets dark, so if you want to sleep I suggest you do that now"

I patted my hair down. The wet made my thick brown locks go from wavy to curly. It was hard to manage. "On this thing?" I gestured to the stone bed I was sitting on "I don't think so"

"Maybe it's meant to prevent illicit activities" Mercer said, his eyes trailing my bare legs.

"Can't be any different than the kitchen table"

Mercer smirked, turning back to his papers "Plenty of time for that later. I was serious about you trying to sleep"

"Worried about me?" I teased.

"If your sluggishness botches this job I'm leaving you to the forsworn"

I sighed, laying down on the stone bed, shifting my weight to find a comfortable position. "You know it wouldn't hurt to throw a mattress over this. Even straw would help"

"It is the way it is".

I did eventually fall asleep, it appeared, as Mercer had to wake me. I stretched before rolling out of bed to change into my armor. He was already in his, of course.

"What's the plan?" I asked, stifling a yawn.

"You're going to break into the treasury house, empty their safe and rewrite the books. I'm going to head up to the keep and pay the court wizard a visit"

I rubbed some grit out of my eye "I thought this was supposed to be a training mission"

"Yes, well, while you were taking your nap-"

"You made me"

"-I learned that some items of interest recently came into the court wizard's possession. Besides, I am more than confident you can handle a simple heist. If you really want training, we can break into one of the dwarven ruins. Sneaking past Falmer is a real challenge"

"Okay"

He raised his eyebrows "Maybe we can find a cave infested with them. Ruins have a whole other set of dangers"

We exited the inn. Mercer walked with me up to the treasury house. His hand lingered on my back as he told me not to screw up before going to do his own thing.

I crouched low, looking around for any guards, scanning the walkways above me before unlocking the front door. There was a counter on the inside, a door to the left that was probably the living quarters of whoever ran the treasury. Directly behind the counter was a metal gate, and behind that gate was a massive safe.

I rounded the counter. The lock on the gate was complicated, but I was able to get it without too much of a hassle. I froze at the long creek of the door opening. When I do didn't hear any rousing from the back rooms I continued to work on the safe. I let out a breath when I heard the gentle _click_.

The safe opened, and I looked greedily its contents. Probably twenty silver bars, five hundred gold, and a few high-quality gems. I began to load my bag.

"Honey what was that?"

I froze.

The irritated groan of someone recently awoken.

"I think someone broke in" a panicked female whisper.

"It's probably nothing"

"Go check"

I looked around frantically as I heard someone moving. Footsteps coming my way. The counter wasn't deep enough to hide under, and there was no way I'd get out the door before they caught me. Even if I did, I wouldn't have time to shut the safe. They'd know someone was stealing.

I looked at the safe. It was my only option. I climbed in, pulling the door shut, but leaving my hand over the mechanism to prevent getting locked in.

"The gate came open. That stupid girl must have forgotten to lock it again"

I stifled a curse as I heard the gate close, lock, and the proprietor walk away.

I tried to calm my breath in the darkness, not let myself panic. I waited a few minutes until both parties were asleep before pushing against the door of the safe. It opened maybe five inches before the gate stopped it.

 _I didn't think this through_. I reached my arm through, feeling the rungs of the gate. I could fit a few fingers between the bars, but not my hand. _Maybe if I really push_ I thought. As long as I kept my hand vertical and worked carefully around my thumb it worked. I took a deep breath, pulling out my lockpick.

The lock was much harder to do with one hand, backwards, blind, a very limited hand motion. As soon as I thought I had the right pins pushed up I retracted my hand, pushing back out with my driver. I slowly turned it. When I heard the click I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I willed the gate not to creak as I opened it. It didn't.

I finished loading my bag with the contents of the safe, re writing some of the books to account for their newly missing funds. Then I was out of there.

The drizzle had never been so inviting after being stuck in that safe. I wondered if Mercer would be impressed by my escape, or disappointed that I had even gotten into that situation. Probably the latter.

I returned to the inn, stashing my massive bag of loot with the rest of our traveling gear.

I waited for Mercer to return. I had a few drinks, some food, but hours passed and he didn't come in. I frowned as I stepped outside, the sky was already turning pink.

I wandered the streets, wondering if something had gone wrong with his job. _Maybe I wasn't the one who should have had supervision._

I somehow ended up in the working district, where an orc was surveying a group of nord workers. I studied the orc. _He looks so familiar_. I crept closer, Mercer momentarily forgotten.

"Hey you"

I looked around before I realized he was speaking to me.

"You're in the way"

"Oh-!" I squeaked, stepping out of the path from the workers to the smelter. I didn't realize I had gotten so close. I was about to continue on my way.

"Wait a second"

I turned back towards the orc, still not being able to shake the feeling that I knew him.

"Do I know you?" he asked, moving closer to study my face.

"I-I don't think-"

"Yeah, yeah" he shook his finger at me. "Your Horilf's girl"

 _Papa?_ _How long has it been since I heard that name_?

"All grown up now too. You didn't get the ugly from him" he let out a harsh, barking laugh. "Bastard got what was coming to him".

My mouth felt dry. "What happened to him?" _What happened to papa?_

I felt a hand snake around my waist. I barely registered it, my eyes on the orc. I remembered now, that day that my mother died. He was there. _You won't always have a child to hide behind._

"You'll have to excuse my wife"

I looked at Mercer, standing next to me. He was the one touching me. _Why pretend any more, Mercer?_ "What happened to him?" I demanded again.

The orc laughed again. "Spitfire, just like your mother, eh? She was quite the woman before- well you know"

 _He knew mama?_

"Adelie, we really should get going. If you excuse-"

I pushed him away "What happened to my _father_ " I demanded.

* * *

 _A/N: I'm so glad that people are liking this story, the reviews are really motivational. I'm going to try and start posting more regularly, but no promises._


	11. Chapter 11

"He's in the mine, kid. And he will be for the rest of his life" the orc practically giggled.

I stood there, confused. "The mine-?" _My father is in the mine?_

"Adelie"

I turned to Mercer. He had his arm around my rigid shoulders now, possessive, controlling.

"I want to see him" I turned back to the orc. "You can do that for me, right?"

"Don't know why anyone would want to see that human piece of trash"

 _He left me. He left me and he ended up in a mine? He's a miner now? What the hell papa?_ "I need to see him"

"Suit yourself, kid. Your friend coming?"

I looked at Mercer. He looked furious. He probably wasn't used to being ignored. "I'll pass" he said dryly. "Don't get too caught up, _wife_ , we need to leave soon"

* * *

I stood nervously in between a set of iron gates. The slow, steady sound of pick axes against stone filled the mine, interrupted only by the occasional cough or curse. Cidhna Mine, it turned out, was a prison. Inmates were forced to serve their time by mining silver for the Silver-Blood family. It was a sound business model, really, especially when you considered that most of the prisoners had a life sentence. I supposed they would need it now, after the damage I had done to their safe the night before.

It seemed only fitting that my father should end up in here. It was a sick kind of poetic justice that he should be forced into a life of hard labor, after so many years of never lifting a finger for his family. The overseer, the orc who had brought me here, had gone back to the smelter. The head guard in the mine had gone to fetch my father. She didn't seem like she was in a good mood. Apparently, visitors were a rare occurrence. I tried to prepare myself to see him again. I felt bad for wishing him to look old, decrepit, and sick. I wasn't sure if it was because I wanted him to be hurt as much as mama and I had, or if it was because that would be the only way I could forgive him. Either way, the man had a silver tongue, and I needed to prepare myself for that, at the very least.

"Adelie!"

I turned towards the voice. There he was, looking the same as he had six years ago, all wide smiles and boisterous voice. He didn't even look like he had been in prison. Sure, his hair was a little gray and matted and he was wearing rags, but his eyes were bright and his cheeks were ruddy. I back stepped as he came at me, arms spread.

"You have five minutes" The head guard said, crossing her arms as she leaned against the gate, just within earshot. "No sudden moves, Horilf"

He held his hands up, "I always behave for you"

I searched his face for any sign of remorse.

"What have you been doing, cub? Heard you got hitched? Gods, you look just like your mother"

The overseer probably thought Mercer was actually my husband. I shook him out of my head. "What have I been doing? Since you _left_ me?" I hissed.

His hand went to the back of his neck. A nervous habit he always had. That hadn't changed either. "You know, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Certainly never thought I'd see you in armor"

I crossed my arms. "You never planned on seeing me again"

"Now that's not true, as soon as I came here and payed my debt to Mulush, I'd come find you… guess I owed a little more than I thought"

"You didn't even know if I was alive. You left me _nothing_ "

"I raised you to be tough"

"You didn't raise me"

"Don't do your old man like that" He put a hand to his bare chest, as if it could demonstrate his remorse. He leaned towards me, lowering his voice. "Adelie, it's tough down here, real tough. The others… they don't exactly like me"

"And why should they" I snapped.

"Come on, cub" he pleaded with me, using my old nick name. "You didn't come all this way just to yell at me, did you? That would just be a waste of time, I know you're smarter than that. Smarter than your old man ever was…"

I bit my lip. He was right. There would be no point in coming here, no point in pissing off Mercer if I didn't get some sort of closure. I could hate him all I wanted when he abandoned me, when I didn't know if he was dead or alive, or where he was. Now, with him in front of me, knowing that if no one else I still had this little bit of family, hatred would be a waste. I wasn't ready to let go of my anger, but I was ready to forgive.

"Cub, look. It's real dangerous down there. They can't seem to stand me… I'm worried that I don't have much time left… You would help your old man, right?"

"Papa, I don't know…" I could feel us shifting. He was in control, I was struggling for a life line.

"It could be my dying wish, Adelie. How would you feel knowing that you walked away and let your old man die? Will you help me, cub?"

I wanted to scream. I wanted to ask him how _he_ felt, watching his wife die, walking away from his defenseless daughter. _But I have to be better than him. I have to._ "I will, papa. I'll help." Surely I could make enough money to pay off his debt.

"Times up" The guard said.

"Urzogo, a word"

"You can talk as much as you want while you're digging up silver"

I waited for another guard to unlock the gate so I could leave. I needed air to work out the knots in my stomach. I tried to breath out my anger, but my mind was churning. I was anxious. There was a purpose now, I could save my money to save my father. Maybe I could even get him out. I was turning out to be a damn good thief, after all. _I guess he got what he deserved._

A guard finally came by. He began to fiddle with his keys, I stood, impatient to leave.

"Not so fast"

I turned, Urzogo was walking towards me, sword drawn.

 _They caught Mercer. They must have and now they know about me too_.

"Take her through processing"

"What? I didn't-"

"Save it"

I could only follow helplessly as the massive women shoved me through the wrong gate.


	12. Chapter 12

They took my armor, they took my sword, they took all my lock picks. They threw me in rags and then they threw me into the mine. I wandered around for what seemed like a few hours, even though the mine honestly wasn't very big, I suppose that just added to the experience. I had heard stories of men driven mad in tiny prison cells; this might be better, but just barely. I settled down next to a fire, my knees pulled up to my chest. My father was nowhere to be found, but on the bright side, Mercer wasn't there either.

"Didn't know what you were getting yourself into?"

I looked up, the speaker was a balding man with gray hair, a mustache, and strange warpaint in a tent shape on his forehead.

"Brave girl. Reminds me so much of my daughter."

 _Brave?_

"Count yourself lucky though, they actually let him go."

 _Let him go?_

"Tell me…" He looked at me searchingly, almost as if he recognized me, but couldn't place me.

"Adelie," I said quickly. He had kind eyes.

"Braig" he nodded at the introduction "Tell me, Adelie, when was the first time you felt chains around your wrists."

I looked down at them. I had been locked up a few times, petty thievery, never for long though. "I guess it was a long time ago."

"Then you know the hard look as judgement looks upon you, the sneers of people who have never had to face sentence… how old are you?"

"Nineteen winters"

"I had a daughter, once. She'd be twenty three this year. Married to some hot-headed silver worker or maybe on her own learning the herb trade…" he frowned, looking into the fire, seeing figures that weren't there. "The Nords didn't care who was and who wasn't involved in the Forsworn Uprising. I had spoken to Madanach once, that was enough." He took a deep breath "But my little Aethra didn't want to see her papa leave her. She pleaded to the Jarl to take her instead. And after they made me watch as her head rolled off the block, they threw me in here anyway, to dig up their silver," He wiped tears from his eyes. "But it was damn brave thing you did for your da."

"And… what did I do?" I asked tentatively.

He looked at me, brows furrowed. "He said you were here to serve the rest of his debt. The orc didn't complain, he always said that Horilf wouldn't live long enough to begin to pay back the money he owed."

My mouth felt dry again. "I-I didn't…" I looked at him. The hatred that I had been trying to let go of during the conversation with my father came bubbling back up. I had tried to be the responsible one, the adult. In return, he had sold me like a cow at auction. Anything to benefit himself. I thought that maybe his sentence had mellowed him out a little, but he was the same scheming bastard that used five-year-old me as a meat shield. I was ready to save up, to pay his bounty, to rebuild the relationship that he had seemed so keen to destroy. Braig looked earnest though. It was real sorrow he felt for his daughter's fate. How could I tell him I hate my father after that story?

"I hated my father," _like that, I guess, real smooth, Adelie._ "He wasn't like you, he was terrible. He practically killed my mother and he left me all alone and he never" I could feel something rising into my chest, making it hard to breath. I had this once before, after the first time he left me, when I realized that he had left me the first time. When the food ran out and the gold was gone. Now, just like then, I had literally nothing but the clothes on my back. "He-he lied" I stood up. "I need- I need to get a message outside. Do you know who can do that? Surely there must be someone."

"Deep breaths, Adelie. Deep breaths. Sit down and eat something, then I'll tell you where you need to go."

"No- There's no time, he's gonna leave." Mercer is going to leave. What will I do if Mercer leaves?

"Deep breaths. Sit down. Your father is probably long gone by now."

I did as he said. He handed me some bread. It was somehow stale and soggy at the same time. It didn't make a difference, I could probably eat a king's feast right now, and it would still taste like sand.

"The first days are always the hardest."

* * *

I frowned, hitting the wall with the pick axe, not really sure what I was supposed to be doing. I glanced nervously back at the guard. They weren't happy with my "laziness", one had threatened to chop my toes off.

"Adelie"

I looked at Braig, he had sidled up next to me and was getting to work on the same vein of silver as me.

"Keep working. You still need to get a message out?"

I nodded.

"How badly?"

My frown deepened. Mercer had returned to Riften already, I was sure of it. Delvin had warned me in the very beginning 'if you get caught, we don' know you', but I hadn't gotten caught, not with guild business, anyway. Still, there might be a chance that whoever Braig was referring to was able to get more than messages out. "Badly."

"Listen, you're going to want to talk to Madanach."

"You mentioned him yesterday," Madanach was the reason Braig's daughter was dead, the reason he was in jail. I had wanted to ask at the time, but the news that I had been left for dead once again had overwhelmed me.

Braig nodded. "He led the uprising. He stays in a room by himself, guarded by that big orc. Borkul the Beast is going to want some sort of payment but you should be able to convince him to let you in."

I nodded, swinging the pickaxe again. I had heard of the forsworn uprising once. My mother mentioned it once before she had gotten sick. The Bretons who called themselves natives of the Reach had tried to reclaim their lands. Most were slaughtered by Ulfric Stormcloak's men. The ones who escaped returned to the hills, I guess Madanach and his affiliates had been sentenced to draining the land they coveted.

Braig and I continued to work like that until the guards indicated it was dinner. There was a pretty strict schedule, more than ninety percent of it was mining, but the guards were usually more relaxed after dinner. I ate my stale bread and thin gruel hurriedly, wiping my hands on my rags as I stood, making my way over to Borkul the Beast.

His name was no exaggeration. My head barely came up to the base of his chest. I was painfully aware of exactly how small I was. And it seemed that size came with perks. "How come you get meat?" I blurted without thinking, my mouth watering at the roasted beef.

Borkul looked down at me, finishing his roast as he did, the beef really emphasized his tusks, which were roughly the length of my middle finger. "You can get anything if you kill it yourself."

My eyes widened. _That was beef, right?_

The orc burst into laughter, his massive shoulders shaking. "The new meat, soft, tender… What was it like killing your first one, huh?"

I chewed my lip, thinking back to the lunatic beneath Honningbrew, I still didn't know his name. His journal stayed untouched in the bottom of a wardrobe in Mercer's house. "I'm no killer" I said softly.

"Not a killer?" he crossed his arms (which were the size of spruce logs) across his chest, leaning back against the stone wall. "Cidhna mine will fix that."

"I want to talk to Madanach."

"You want to talk to the king in rags? Fine. First you gotta pay the toll, how about you get me a shiv? Not that I need one, but it's nice to have, in case I need to do a little shaving." he laughed again.

"I don't have a shiv."

He looked down at me. "Find one."

I turned around. Where am I supposed to find a shiv? Focus, Adelie.

I turned back around, looking at Borkul. He was massive, bigger than any orc I had seen. He was only wearing ragged trousers; they probably didn't have any shirts that would fit him. Braig was nice enough, but I wasn't keen on talking to any of the other prisoners. I had a feeling that shivs weren't free, and I wasn't willing to think about what someone might ask for in payment down here. Then I saw it, the tarnished loop of a brass key sticking out of Borkul's waistband. _Mercer's training better not fail me now,_ I thought as I walked casually past the orc, plucking the key delicately. I looked over my shoulder once I was a safe distance away; he hadn't moved.

Perfect. I waited a few more moments, key clutched in hand. I hadn't thought this all the way through. There was no way to get into the cell without him seeing. As far as I knew, Borkul never left his post. The guards didn't complain, which was a shame, Borkul could probably haul as much silver as the rest of the prisoners combines. Then again, I wouldn't want to be the one to tell him to get to work.

I took a deep breath, and walked towards the door, key plainly in sight. Hopefully, he would admire my bravery more than he would be irritated that I stole from him. I put the key in the door and swung it open, strolling through without glancing up. He didn't stop me, but that didn't exactly mean that I was safe. If Madanach couldn't help me, then Borkul would have a very long time to plan revenge.

"And the noble daughter approaches" Madanach was an old, Breton man, with long white hair. Incredibly thin, but somehow stable looking. He didn't look up from his letter as I approached. "Tell me, was it worth it? Saving dear old daddy when it meant staying in this hole in the ground, doing hard labor for the Nords?"

"My father cheated me. He-"

"He lied his way through the guards and convinced them that his heroic daughter was doing her civic duty and allowing her old man to live out his last days in the sun and fresh air. I know. You can never trust a Nord."

"I want-"

"You want to get a message out, to your 'husband' is it? What do you want to tell him? That you're okay? No one has touched you? The guards are still oblivious to your robbing the city blind?"

"How-?"

"I have eyes everywhere, girl. And don't worry, the guards are oblivious" he finished scratching the last words onto his letter before setting the quill down and turning to me. His gaze was intense, as if he was trying to find something in me. I had a strange feeling, like I had seen him before. "Now. What is it that you really want? And for the love of the old gods stop chewing your lip, it's about to fall off."

"I want to get out."

"There's not a soul down here that doesn't want to get out." He had dark grey eyes. Not quite blue, but not cloudy like a blind man. "You've spoken to Braig?"

I nodded.

"Then you know just how widespread the injustice of Markarth is. Imagine hearing a story like that over and over again. Each time a different family, each time a different injustice…" his eyes were searching. His voice softened considerably. "I've known loss too, Adelie. There is one thing that your father didn't lie about, and that was that I can't stand the man."

I looked at him, still trying to place him. There was something so familiar, his eyes maybe? Where could I have seen him before, he was probably arrested before I was born.

"Seeing you here has reminded me of just how… detached I've been from the struggle. My men and I should be in the hills, fighting."

"So you'll help?"

"Yes… but, I need a show of loyalty. I don't need a shiv in the back when we make our escape"

I nodded. "I can handle it." I could handle anything if it meant getting out.

"There's a man here, Grisvar the Unlucky, he's outlived his usefulness. Kill him."

Except maybe that.

* * *

 _A/N: So many new follows after the last chapter! Y'all are the best :)_

 _ScienceGuy23: (Late reply but) plot twists for Father of the year, right?_

 _Nina: Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it_


	13. Chapter 13

Grisvar the Unlucky, _well I guess today he really is,_ I thought, weighing the pickaxe in my hand. Borkul seemed to know, he had offered me a shiv as soon as I exited Madanach's cell, but I had turned it down. I wasn't sure if I was ready to regret that.

I had decided to sleep on it, well, I to spend the night thinking about it; I didn't get much sleep. If Madanach knew a way out, then surely I would be able to find it too; eighty percent of a thief's job _is_ finding things, after all. However, if his plan involved a brute-force fight out of the prison, then I was going to need him and all his supporters. I could try and talk my way out, but I was not my father. If I couldn't sell a stolen necklace to a shopkeeper, there was no way I could convince an orc with a vendetta to release me.

Then there was Madanach himself. There was something oddly magnetic about him. I couldn't quite place the feeling, but it was like he knew me. Perhaps it was the old magic, something that my mother used to talk to me about late at night when I couldn't sleep: a primal kind of magic that only the forsworn can control. It turned women into birds and replaced warriors' hearts with plants. _Yeah, that must be it,_ I thought, desperate to push the feeling away. Still, I didn't want to disappoint him.

 _Grisvar will die, even if I don't kill him,_ I reasoned with myself. If Madanach is ready to stage an escape, after being imprisoned for Gods know how long, and _this_ is to be the stone that sets everything in motion, someone will do it. _'A show of loyalty' he said. Which means if whoever kills Grisvar will likely kill you as well._

I didn't eat that night. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep the food down. I could feel Borkul's eyes on me. _Not a killer? Cidhna Mine will fix that._ He was probably eager to see the proof of his words. Braig sat with me by the fire again. If he knew what was happening, he didn't say anything. He just took my food wordlessly when I offered it to him. I fidgeted, glancing back at the guards above, waiting for the magical moment when they all left to do something more entertaining than watching a bunch of old men mine silver. When the last one turned, I rose.

"You know the guards don't care if you mine after dinner" Braig said as I lifted the pick.

I could feel my knuckles turn white around it. "I need to do something" I mumbled.

He nodded, understanding. "Nervous energy? Just don't be too loud, some of us still need to sleep"

I nodded, glancing again at Borkul. He was smiling.

Grisvar usually kept to one of the lower tunnels, out of sight of the guards. There were two other men in the tunnel as I approached. One of them was Uraccen, he also had a daughter, and was nice to me. Forsworn men seemed to care deeply for their daughters. _If only my father was more like them._ The other I didn't recognize. I could feel something tugging at my stomach, hoping that this errand wouldn't turn into a brawl.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Grisvar asked nervously as I approached.

"Like what?" I asked as I went to mine from the vein on the opposite wall.

"Oh- Nothing"

Uraccen and the other man went back to their conversation.

I took a deep breath as I hit the wall, thinking of Mercer. After a particularly rigorous session of love making, he had spent the rest of the night explaining all the ways a man could be killed, pressing each soft point gently with two fingers. Mercer was probably the furthest thing from what I had imagined in a romantic partner. He wasn't devilishly handsome, or overbearingly noble with a quick smile. He was older, with a constant scowl, and the exact opposite of noble. Still, he was the one that invaded my thoughts. He was the one I had to get back to.

I glanced back at Grisvar and tried to swallow the brick rising in my throat. The back of his head was shiny with sweat. _Is it from exertion, or does he know?_ I stopped, gripping the pick with both my hands. I listened to the rhythmic clink of Grisvar's axe against the wall, imagining Mercer's fingers on my head. _Near the brow bone, he said, was the weakest part of the skull, or_ -I flinched as one of Grisvar's strikes faltered- _right where the skull connects to the nape of the neck… but I would need to push upwards for that, hard to do with the curved pickaxe._

I was sweating now, it didn't matter what Grisvar knew, because _I_ knew. I flexed my fingers around the rough wooden handle and listened to the tiny bones in my knuckles pop. _Gods, I hope this works._

I counted his strikes, waiting for him to reach the apex of his swing before I spoke. "Hey Grisvar," I said softly. His axe hit the wall. I closed my eyes and I swung.

I thanked the gods that he turned the way I anticipated. I had timed it perfectly. The pick met its mark, piercing the weak spot in the bones, forcing its way deep enough into the soft tissue beneath. I let go of the pick as I watched him fall. I saw something red, and felt a strange rush of pride at how neatly and quickly I had accomplished it. _Someone would have killed him,_ I told myself as I pushed out of the tunnel. No one followed me. I hurried to Madanach's cell without looking any further. The door was already open.

"It's done then?" Madanach asked. He was writing another letter.

"Grisvar is dead," My voice sounded hollow, a stark contrast to my pounding heart.

He smiled proudly at me. "You're one of us now, Adelie. Come, it's time I shared my plan with you and your new brothers".

I stood nervously behind him, seeing that all the prisoners had gathered outside the iron gate, as if they already knew about the announcement. _Old magic,_ I thought to myself.

"What's going on, Madanach? You wouldn't have old Grisvar killed unless you weren't planning on needing him" Uraccen spoke.

"My brother, we have been here long enough. It's time to leave Cidhna Mine and continue our fight against the Nords" He didn't raise his voice at all. "Through this gate, just beside my quarters is a tunnel that leads through the ruins of Old Markarth and into the city. What do you say, my brothers?"

"The Reach belongs to the Forsworn!"

I flinched at their shouts.

Madanach was the first to go, then Borkul, then me. The King in Rags unlocked another gate that was on the side of the tunnel. This new tunnel quickly changed from the rock walls of the mine to refined stone, the same kind that made up the city above. At the end was a bronze door. Madanach opened that too.

The next hall probably would have looked like Markarth, if the raw stone hadn't reclaimed it. Some of the walls were visible in gaps. The dirt was thing over the smooth stone floor. A little bit further in I had to stop and gape. It was a hallway, all smooth stone and polished bronze. Carvings of ancient, haunting faces surrounded by scales of the bronze metal decorated the supports. Bluish lights illuminated the hall, revealing a high, domed ceiling.

"Keep going" Uraccen pushed as he came up behind me.

I nodded, rounding another corner to see Borkul drive the sharp end of his pick deep into the head of a frostbite spider. I wrinkled my nose as he put the pick back into his belt, not seeming to care about the bluish-green slime that covered it. Still, I hurried to keep up with him. _If there's anything else I can let him take care of it,_ I thought as I skirted the human-shaped sacks of web.

"What in seven hells-" I raised my pickaxe just in time as something came towards me, hitting me hard enough that I staggered backwards.

I dodged another attack, trying to get a better look at the beast. It was tall, taller than me it seemed, and it was fast, with blade like hands.

I hit it, finding that it was actually made of metal, not a living being that had adopted some strange form of camouflage. Braig appeared behind me, assisting in hitting the thing with a shiv. I hit it as hard as I could, grinning triumphantly as it crumbled. Every piece fell independently, held together by nothing.

"Keep moving"

I nodded, glancing at the machine one more time, embarrassed that I had to be reminded again.

It wasn't much further until we reached the exit. Madanach stopped just before a figure, a woman. Everyone else formed a cluster behind him.

"Madanach, I've brought the items you've asked for"

He took the bundle and turned towards the group. His eyes fell on me. I stepped forward, I had seen the look on his face before.

"Madanach, she's just like-"

"I'm aware, Kaie" he said curtly before turning to me. "I've had Kaie bring the items the guards took while you were arrested… and a gift"

I looked at the headdress, enchanted by the soft glow coming from the deer skull.

"It's the armor of the old gods, very valuable. If you ever find yourself bored with the trials of the Nords in that hole of a city you've found yourself in, the forsworn will welcome you to join the fight of your forefathers"

Forefathers? I looked at him, into his stormy gray eyes, trying to pinpoint why he looked so familiar, especially if he had been in prison nearly, if not my entire life.

"The Reach belongs to the Forsworn!"

I felt a large hand land on my head as the men rushed out, and looked up just as Borkul passed through the door. They left me in the darkness of the tunnels, serenaded by the muffled sound of weapons clashing behind the bronze door.


	14. Chapter 14

I followed the carnage to the city gates, trying not to attract more attention than necessary, or look like I belonged to either group. I noticed with some sick kind of satisfaction that the majority of casualties were guards, the occasional reach man had fallen, but none that I recognized. I briefly wanted to check the inn for Mercer, but thought better of it and headed for the gates. I stood atop the steps, watching the group who had freed me from prison fight their way away from the city. I followed at a distance.

It was dark by the time I was clear from the city. There were no other travelers on the road, but I didn't want to risk hiring the carriage. I hoped my newfound companionship with the Forsworn would be enough to prevent me from getting attacked on the road, and that the darkness would keep any guard patrols from recognizing me. By the time I would exit the mountains and enter Whiterun hold, it would be daytime, and I could catch a carriage to Riften. I'd be safe there, if the guild still accepted me. If not then, well Daggerfall is preferable to the Reach, but… I shook my head, keenly aware of the weight of Madanach's gift in my pack. It made my skin crawl thinking about it, but whenever I pulled it out I was trapped, like the scrappy, uncured leather was calling to me. I couldn't throw it out, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep it.

The irresistible smell of stew wafted towards me, halting my thoughts. I wasn't entirely sure if it was my imagination or not, after days of eating thin gruel and stale bread, but I continued in its direction, eventually seeing lights off the main road. I followed the thin path up to what looked like a manor house, but it had the sign of an inn. I pushed open the door and the warmth regaled me. A blazing hearth, and yes, the stew was most definitely coming from here. My mouth watered as I felt for my coin purse, relieved when I felt it had been returned untouched with the rest of my belongings.

"Welcome friend. The Old Hrodan has warm beds and clean rooms, Tiber Septim's room has already been rented out, I'm afraid"

"Tiber Septim?" I asked as I slid a few septims across the counter. She launched into a history of the inn as she served me a bowl of thick, hot, stew and warm, Fluffy bread.

"Perhaps a more… private room, for me and the lady" a new voice interrupted.

I turned, confused, staring into murky green eyes. "Mercer" I breathed out, wanting to launch myself into his arms, but reluctant to let go of my bowl.

His face was unreadable as usual, but I took this as a good sign. He was never one to hide rage.

"You two know each other? Always nice to meet a friend on the road"

"Quite the contrary. This little pain in the arse has sent me across the country three times over" Mercer growled as he took my bread.

I protested loudly, reaching for my precious loaf. I thought I caught the ghost of an expression in his eye, _could he be happy?_

"I believe we have some private discussion" he said flatly, crossing the inn.

I smiled an apology to the innkeeper as I took my food and followed him.

"Convenient of you to show up here"

"That's my bread" I said, grabbing at it. He continued to hold it just out of reach. "Not at all curious why I'm here and not cozy in Riften, laughing with Delvin about all the other thieves who managed to get themselves caught?"

"You never laugh. And I didn't get caught, now can I _please_ have my bread?"

"I told you it wasn't a good idea. You need to learn to leave the past in the past" he took a bite.

I hadn't let myself be angry at my father while I was in the mine. It would have been the perfect opportunity to, with no actual hope of escape or salvation I could have sat there and dwelled on everything that went wrong in my life, like everyone else in there did. There certainly wasn't much else to do. Even the hard labor of mining silver became monotonous, routine behavior. More of a function than an activity. I had turned my mind towards Mercer, I realized. Towards escaping, to get to him, at least before I met Madanach and his familiar yet so distant face.

"Why are you here?" I finally asked.

"I was just on my way back to pay your fine" he smirked as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

"You mean my father's debt?"

"Quite substantial" he nodded.

I had to look away from him. I wasn't sure how to react. I could feel my face flush.

"Come on, you must be tired"

"I want my bread"

Maybe an hour later I laid down, wearing a soft tunic and my stomach round with food. I had gorged myself, and I didn't feel the least bit bad about it, no matter how much Mercer rolled his eyes or reminded me that I had actually only been in prison three days. I slid over on the straw mattress as he got in next to me. It was a small bed, but I was glad for the warmth.

"Better than the floor?" he asked

"Not as good as your bed." I muttered back, I had been fantasizing about the expensive down mattress even more than I had been fantasizing about the man who owned it.

He let out a sound that could almost be a chuckle. I closed my eyes as he smoothed my wild hair down.

"Why?" I asked quietly.

"Why what?"

"Why pay the fine. Why not just leave me there?"

"Maybe I thought about it"

"Maybe you didn't" I could feel him draw breath into his chest.

"Maybe I got bored"

"Bored?"

"As much of an idiot as you are, you're not totally incompetent, or so I thought before you got yourself arrested. If you were able to subdue those foolish tendencies of yours, you might be the only person who could pretend to rival me in skill."

I smiled at the compliment. "You have some foolish tendencies yourself," I teased. I pushed myself up on my elbows, waiting for him to quip back at me. He replied with a muffled, dismissive grunt, but I wasn't ready to let him off the hook. "A lifetime of gambling must yield some pretty substantial debt, and to sacrifice that amount of money for someone who could only _pretend_ to rival you? Sounds foolish to me."

"I have big things planned." He replied, matter of factly.

"How big?"

"It would triple the amount, to start. And it only gets bigger from there"

"How big?" I asked again.

His hand moved across my body, coming to rest on my jaw. He tilted my face towards him. I opened my eyes to meet his. "Who has the most valuables, Adelie?"

"Nobles?"

"That's been done." His hand began wandering down my neck.

"The Jarls?"

"Done." His fingertips brushed my collarbone.

I chewed my lip. "Kings?"

"Done. Think bigger." His hands paused a moment before brushing down across my belly.

"The Emperor?"

"Bigger" His fingers found their goal, making it hard for me to think.

 _Who's bigger than the emperor?_ "Daedra?" I managed to choke out between gasps.

"It's all been done before, Adelie. The Gods." He said finally, anxious to get the words out of his mouth. His eyes gleamed. This was the closest to excited I had ever seen him. "I'm going to steal what the gods themselves have put on Nirn"

I pulled away from him, put a pause to his busy hands. "The gods, Mercer?"

"The gods, Adelie"

And then he kissed me.

* * *

I rolled over in the middle of the night, surprised to feel the warmth of the body still next to me. I propped myself up on my elbow to look into his face. The even rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was still sleeping. I smiled as i ran a finger along his jawline, the small sharp hairs catching on the callouses of my hand. He looked… peaceful? Well, as peaceful as a man with a permanent scowl could look in his sleep. Which I suppose was nothing remarkable, everyone looked peaceful in their sleep. But this proof that he did sleep, it humanized him. I settled back into the crook of his arm and closed my eyes.

* * *

Mercer was less than willing to elaborate on his plan to "steal from the gods" in the morning. Every time I asked him, the reply was simply an annoyed grunt.

I sighed, turning away from him and the chests of gold that I assumed were to pay my father's debt, my bounty, and towards the open road. I crossed my arms, trying to show him how irritated I was. He had been so gentle last night, sweet almost, and there was something new about his eyes. A light almost, they were warmer. It had dulled in the morning, but I could tell it was still there. And I could tell that he was irritated. Of course, he always seemed irritated, but now _I could tell_.

We waited for the carriage to pass by the Old Hrodan, where Mercer flashed a bag of coin, and we were allowed to get on at this unofficial stop, with all our luggage.

"I talked to the orc" Mercer said as I ran my fingers over the lock on one of the chests. "The overseer?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"I asked how much to get you out, he said I'd have to pay off the debt, and and I told him to just give me a number"

I sat up to look at him, still not replying.

"It was quite a large number" he closed his eyes.

"You would have stolen it back right?"

He paused, opening one eye a tiny bit to look at me. "Of course"

I smiled, trying to find a comfortable position on the hard seat of the cart. "I didn't need you"

"You didn't" he agreed.

* * *

 _A/N: Yet another late update, my muse has been unresponsive. Anyway, I figured I would crank this chapter out so I could try and get on with the story. I hope y'all find it acceptable. I hope everyone had a wonderful whatever-you-celebrate this season, and let's keep our fingers crossed for a better new year, (in case I don't update before then)._

 _Clavicula: Thanks! And I agree, a lot of the Dovahkiin stories kinda go all over the place; it's fun in the game but it doesn't make for very good story writing. There are some good ones out there, but I didn't feel like I could achieve that on my first try._

 _Scyscarf: Mercer has always been one of my favorites, he's a badass. I'm glad you're enjoying it and I'll take all the luck and inspiration I can get._


	15. Chapter 15

The Gods were kind, for once. Adelie was mercifully silent for the majority of the carriage ride back to Riften. Her brief stay in the mine had apparently nullified the complaints she had about the combination of the hard bench and cobblestone roads that she had enroute to Markarth. Not to mention that Mercer's mood seemed to seep into her. The questions about his plans were still blazing behind her eyes, but they didn't fall out of her mouth. He almost felt guilty about the gloom that surrounded her otherwise bright mood. Adelie was no fool, as fond as he was of telling her she was. She had seen enough of cruelty in the world to know that happy endings don't exist. Still, she constantly parades around, pretending to be an optimist. It became exhausting, and if damping her spark is what it takes to get some quiet, then so be it.

Mercer didn't quite know why he had shared as much as he had last night. He had been laying the groundwork for those plans for decades. He had painstakingly planted and withheld information, gathered tools, researched, and tied loose ends. With a plan as complex as his, there were many moving parts. Things changed as they became subject to circumstance: jobs had to be rushed and postponed, people got in the way and were removed accordingly. Through the entire process there was only one constant: Mercer was alone and independent. That was, until last night. He finally spared a glance towards the dozing mess of brown hair that he had been pointedly avoiding all morning. When he was satisfied that she would not wake up and show him a smile that would make him regret the sudden charity of his attention, Mercer let himself stare. Adelie was no great beauty, that had never been a question. She grew up poor and dirty, so she lacked the smooth skin of more refined women. She was also short, probably due more to poor nutrition than unfortunate lineage, not that any Breton could seem tall in the land of the Nords. While she had put on a significant amount of weight since the first time he saw her, a mere skeleton in the dim lighting of the cistern, she was not particularly well endowed. Mercer had been with many women who were better in bed but, that was probably due to lack of experience, more than any fault of her own, Mercer thought, remembering the first time he took her. It was a miracle that a girl of her age, who had been on the streets for so long, had avoided _that_ fate. _A miracle_ , Mercer's eyes flicked to the sky after a shadow of a bird passed over Adelie's sleeping face, _or luck._

All that considered, what on Nirn had possessed him to share his most secret plans? Her skill as a thief? Maybe that was it. He had recognized her potential, and the other members of the guild were not completely wrong when they said he had taken her under wing. Perhaps he thought that by including her, he could remove another threat. Weren't two heads better than one? After that stunt she pulled in Solitude... there wasn't another thief in the guild that would have thought of stealing the payment, or even noticed that the payment was present. No, they were all drones. If you're sent for the shipment, you get the shipment. Only Adelie was smart enough not to come home empty handed.

Either way, Mercer had made a decision last night. There was no way to erase it and keep Adelie. She would not forget, but would she tell anyone? She might assume that his plans were for the guild's benefit, and someone else already knew. She wasn't arrogant enough to think herself Mercer's sole confidant. Mercer resisted the urge to brush a stray curl from her face. She would either become his most valuable asset, or another loose end.

* * *

His contact was on time, waiting patiently in front of Riften's gates, sweeping the chests of gold and jewels away before anyone else could see them. He noted the confused look on Adelie's face as someone she didn't recognize took his money, but she didn't ask any questions. Mercer was sure to give the carriage driver a generous tip, in case anyone decided later on to ask questions. Mercer didn't speak as he helped Adelie off the carriage and ushered her into the city. Her nap had served her well. She was alert. He knew she saw the key as he pressed it deeper into his pocket, but still, she didn't say a word, only nudged him gently with an elbow as Brynjolf glided through the market crowd towards them.

"Mercer," The Nord was dressed in fine robes, his scamming clothes he called them. He spared only a glance for Adelie, but the look was enough. "I have news of our contact."

Mercer nodded grimly. It had come fast, maybe too fast. "Not here."

Adelie looked between the two men, but still, she stayed silent. Brynjolf glanced at her again before turning and leading the way back to the cistern. As soon as they were all down the ladder, Brynjolf moved towards Mercer's desk, but Adelie moved off in the other direction.

"You're going to hear this too." Mercer ordered. He knew Adelie had heard him, but her eyes didn't leave her waiting bed until her body had fully turned away from it. "Speak," He ordered Brynjolf.

"Galum-Ei has resurfaced, in Solitude, of all places" Brynjolf said. He had no paper to show for it. Most of this work was done by word of mouth. If a mark found a paper trail that showed someone was looking for them, they were all too likely to disappear again.

"Isn't that to be expected? Slimy bastard probably never even left."

"Galum-Ei?" Adelie piped up, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Someone, is trying to take down the Guild, which you would know if you had actually _read_ any of the papers I've sent you after." Mercer snapped. "They're trying to drive a wedge between us and Maven, clever, really"

"That's not good." She replied plainly.

Mercer closed his eyes to prevent himself from berating her, knowing full well that she was irritating him on purpose, probably as payback to being ignored. She knew how much she hated simple, obvious sentences. "Whoever did it is well-funded and has managed to avoid detection for years. But they made a mistake, the parchment you recovered from Goldenglow mentions a 'Gajul-Lei', which is an alias for one of the guilds old contacts, he's our main contact at the East Empire Trading Company. I'm guessing he acted as the middle-man for whoever tried to buy Goldenglow, and he'll be able to finger them."

The corners of her mouth twitched up at the ending of his sentence before she regained the serious mask she put on for guild work. "I'm guessing that you want me to go track him down?"

"What makes you think I would send you on a solo mission after what you pulled in Markarth?"

Adelie's smirk lasted longer this time. "So you just had me stand here in case Brynjolf's news was so shocking you'd faint? I do love it when you swoon, Mercer."

"Sharp as a whip" Mercer drawled sarcastically, putting an end to Brynjolf's smiling. He had almost forgotten his second was still standing there. "I trust Brynjolf can fill you in on all the details. And, Adelie?"

"Hmm?" She murmured, moving closer to him. He recognized the purr, and it almost tempted him. Mercer knew the name Galum-Ei would give her, and he was fairly certain of what would happen after that. Sending Adelie in the first place was yet another piece of the puzzle. He could send someone else, and he probably would have, if not for his slip up the night before. She knew of his plans, so she was that much less likely to turn on him when she learned the truth. This was the beginning of the end, he could only hope she remained on his side.

"You'd do well to listen to me in the future," he snapped, waving his hand dismissively.

Mercer ignored her poignant eyeroll as she turned on her heel to follow Brynjolf away. He had planning to do. Things were coming together faster than he anticipated. After all these years, his opponent was ready to make a move. Fortunately, he had prepared. He used the time provided by their absence wisely. He poured over every possible situation to give himself the upper hand. His opponent was indeed well funded, which meant that they had allies, probably foreign, so no one he had to worry about directly, it was their contacts within the country he worried about. They would keep them few, no doubt. He didn't have to worry about an army on his doorstep, but an army he could at least see coming. No, they were smarter than that. They might even have someone inside the guild, _to ensure an enemy's defeat, you must first undermine their allies,_ but what allies did Mercer have?

Mercer glanced up in time to see Adelie cast him a glare before she climbed out of the Cistern. He thought about pursuing her. He couldn't say anything in front of Brynjolf, but that didn't mean he couldn't intercept her before she left the city, she would no doubt be slow about it. Besides, delaying her departure would give him more time to plan his next move. Perhaps he could even warn her, tell her how the next few weeks could transpire, depending on her choices.

Mercer shook his head and began gathering the appropriate guild ledgers, trying to ignore the shelves behind him. The months of menial labor he had Adelie doing had not been useless, not for her, at least. Many of the valuables she had retrieved, Delvin had seen fit to stack on those shelves, _Mercer's_ shelves. He would have to find a way to deduct the gold she earned from the guild's treasury. More math.

The guildmaster ticked away the numbers from his desk. The others were in the cistern, drinking, gossiping, sleeping. The fools. Mercer had been standing at that desk for the past thirty years, slowly draining gold from the guild's coffers, and in all that time, only one person had ever come close to noticing. He was able to tie that end quickly, but one knot didn't hold. That, however, would be taken care of shortly. Then there was Adelie to consider. Would it be possible for her to best him? Mercer had taught her everything she knew, so he should be able to match anything she threw at him. She was no killer, so even if she got the upper hand, it was unlikely that she would finish the job. Still, it wasn't a chance he was willing to take. In the slight chance that Adelie turned on him, and the even slighter chance that she won, he couldn't let all his hard work be for naught. Adelie was a survivor, but she was not cold, and if Mercer's opponent gets to her, she could be sucked into the very same void as him. She would understand. He filled out a scrap of paper and beckoned Brynjolf over.

"Get this to my weapons guy. Tell him it's a rush job."

Brynjolf's brows furrowed as he read the paper, he looked back to Mercer for answers.

"The tides are shifting, Brynjolf. We need to be ready."

Brynjolf frowned, but pocketed the note and left.

Mercer sighed and turned back to the books. Before last night, Mercer had never considered that he could become a loose end himself.

* * *

 _A/N: I tried and I tried and I just could not write through_ Scoundrel's Folly, _so here's something different instead. Let me know what y'all think. I do plan on writing a few more chapters like this, that are more from Mercer's POV, but I'm interested in everyone's opinion nonetheless._


	16. Chapter 16

Mercer was in his usual place at the desk, hunched over a stack of ledgers. Locks of hair fell over his eyes. He probably hadn't moved since I left. The furrows in his forehead deepened as he scowled at the books, no doubt frustrated over the Guild's lack of funds. Apparently, the situation had not changed much from before I was here. He looked up as I approached, his eyebrows raised in the closest expression to eagerness he could muster.

Galum-Ei hadn't been the easiest to deal with. Brynjolf was right, he wouldn't speak until I bribed him, and even then I had to trail him through the headquarters of Skyrim's largest shipping company, which was absolutely crawling with guards. Then I found myself in the middle of a rather large bandit horde. A greater man might have been able to cut down every last man and woman in there, but I was perfectly content to resign from murdering people with only two kills. The Argonian had eventually explained that the person trying to take down the guild was a woman named Karliah. Galum-Ei had made her sound like a big deal. I hoped the he was lying to save his life.

"Well? Did Galum-Ei have anything useful?"

"He said he was acting as a broker for someone named Karliah." I watched Mercer's reaction, hoping that he would look at me like I was an idiot, and ask me if that was supposed to mean something. Maybe then the knots in my stomach could finally loosen.

"Karliah? I haven't heard that name in years," He stood, rubbing the two-day old stubble on his chin. The knots tightened. I could feel Mercer's eyes on me, but I didn't have the energy to look disinterested. "Gallus, my predecessor, trained me and Karliah, until one day she put a knife through his stomach and fled. Now I guess she's back for me."

I remembered being told about how the guild master would choose two apprentices, and someone mentioning how it didn't work out well last time. Now I finally understood. They were worried that if Mercer let someone close to him, he would end up the same as Gallus. What they didn't know was that I was more than an apprentice. "Did he… say anything else?" Mercer's voice was flat, like he knew what was coming.

I swallowed hard. I didn't want to be the messenger anymore. I wanted to be the foolish girl I had been that day Brynjolf spotted me in the market. I remembered how repulsive I had found Mercer when we had first met. He was only the ugly old man who couldn't manage to keep a group of thieves together. Now, he was so much more. He wasn't ugly, and frankly not even that old. Perhaps time could have been kinder to him, but then he wouldn't be the Mercer he is today. My Mercer. This Karliah clearly had a vendetta against him, and I didn't know why. Perhaps it was only because he was guild master.

"He said she would be waiting 'where the end began'." I hoped, foolishly, once again that he wouldn't know what this meant. That he would curse me for being so sloppy and not finding enough information, the right information.

Instead, he sighed. "Snow Veil Sanctum. It's where she killed Gallus. I wouldn't be surprised if his body was still there. Grab what you need. We leave immediately."

I nodded, not protesting that I only just got back, that I wanted to rest. When Mercer sees Karliah, he will be forced to relive the death of his mentor. I know because when I looked into my father's eyes, all I could see was the tired husk of the once-mighty woman who used to be my mother. I needed to be there for him, just as he was for me. More importantly, I needed to kill the person threatening to take him away from me.

* * *

We decided to walk the entire way. What we lost in speed made up in stealth. Karliah would be expecting Mercer. A lesser man might have sent someone else to take care of her; Mercer could deal with his own problems. There was a chance though, that she thought he would go alone. She also didn't know exactly when we would show up. I told myself that we had the advantage.

Mercer stopped as the forests of the Rift began the transition to the rocky, snow-swept mountains of Eastmarch. He let his pack fall to the ground as he looked at me, almost as if searching for something. He reached into his pack and drew out something long and wrapped in cloth. The cloth fell and gave way to a beautiful sword. Ebony, razor sharp, with some kind of enchantment. I gaped as he held it out to me, taking it delicately. It was light, as long as my arm, and perfectly balanced. I swung it, it cut through the air easily, silently, faster than any weapon I'd seen before, including Mercer's. I slid it into its sheath, looking back to Mercer. His mouth twisted as he watched me attach it to my hip. He held out a leather bag. I took it delicately.

"Two gifts in one day? Should I be worried?" I teased, only half joking as I looked at the pinkish gemstones inside.

"The sword was expensive, so don't break it. You're not the strongest so you need speed on your side," he said, his tone condescending but I knew he was just trying to cover whatever emotion he was feeling. "It's got a fire enchantment and a soul trap, you'll need those" he gestured at the bag "to keep it working. Some of them are empty."

I plucked a jewel out of the bag and held it to the light. It was pretty enough, but rough and cloudy. "These are soul gems?"

Mercer sighed heavily, his hand closed over mine, pressing my fingers into the gem until I could feel a small vibration, barely tangible. "You never know the value of your soul until it's not yours, Adelie. Be careful with those."

"Mercer…" I looked at him, taken aback by this sudden expression of emotion. His pain was plain on his face, not only a glimmer in his eyes that left me wondering if I had seen anything at all. It was etched into every corner and crevice. Was it because of me?

All at once it was gone, back to the same stern mask I had seen him wear every day. "Karliah is a formidable foe. You should expect to have to use it. Do not forget my training."

I nodded, stashing the soul gems away. Mercer was always serious, I had never heard him joke, and it was rare that he should even smile. Still, there was something off about him. I watched him continue up the road without me. Was the conversation over, or did he just not want me to look any closer at his face? Could he be afraid? I rested my palm on the hilt of the sword and jogged to catch up with him.

Mercer didn't say anything for the rest of the trip, and neither did I. I didn't complain when the late spring weather turned icy cold as we ventured further into Eastmarch. Nor when Mercer continued down the path towards Winterhold, past Windhelm, despite the setting sun. Not even when he turned off the road and into the mountains and we had to trudge through thigh-high snow. I almost fainted with relief when the small mound appeared on the horizon.

Mercer stopped us about a hundred meters away, crouched low in the snow in our dark guild armors. We watched the entrance for movement, for Karliah. When nothing appeared, we approached. She hadn't bothered to clean up her camp. A tent was still standing, a cooking rack stood over a dead hearth, and her horse was tied to a tree. I looked away as Mercer killed it.

The door to the ruin was locked. Mercer crouched to inspect it. He reached for something on his hip, but straightened up. "Adelie,"

Not for the first time that day, my heart clenched.

"No matter what happens in there, you will trust me." It was a command, but the uncertainty in his voice made it seem more like a question. Mercer had never been uncertain around me before. I wasn't sure I liked it.

"Always."

He grimaced before turning back to the lock. "Rusty old things. Some say that locks like this are unbreakable, but they're easy, if you know the right trick"

I tried to relax. I wasn't sure if my response had restored his confidence, or if he had seen my concern and decided to go back to acting like everything was fine. He was back to his usual boastful self, and true to that self he began ridiculing me the second we stepped inside. Still, he was sloppy. He made comments about how sneaking past draugr would be child's play to Karliah. It should have been child's play to us too, but he managed to wake them. Karliah must have reset all the traps, Inconvenient for us since Mercer seemed quite willing to set them all off. _Don't go blundering into any bone chimes, Adelie_ , while he himself rattled the strings of bones hanging from the ceilings. The war cries he bellowed while fighting draugr only served to wake more up. It was all slowing us down exponentially. Karliah, wherever she was, could probably hear us. So much for stealth.

Still, I couldn't help but agree with Mercer that Karliah was, respectable, at the very least. She snuck past what seemed like hundreds of draugr. She reset the ancient traps that took me longer than I'd care to admit to figure out how to set off. She also set traps of her own, like stacking pots behind a closed gate, so they would all tumble and break and wake the draugr when it opened. It was clever. I couldn't help but feel like it was all a trap. The careful, measured way she went about trying to destroy the guild. The timing of Galum-Ei's reveal. She set everything up. I should have suggested to Mercer that we wait instead of charging head-first into her waiting arms; let her freeze a little in this ruin, maybe she'd starve, or otherwise weaken. She laid a trap, and we behaved exactly as she predicted. I couldn't shake the sinking in my stomach.

Mercer boasted his way through the rest of the ruins. It almost felt like he was trying to get himself killed. I wasn't sure if I was helping ground him or just making him more anxious. Confronting the person who killed his mentor couldn't be easy. I tried to chalk it all up to nerves, but as I slashed my way through the many draugr that surrounded him, I couldn't help but fear the foreboding weight pressing down.

"A puzzle lock, normally impossible without the proper claw, which Karliah has no doubt already made off with…" I saw a flash of jade as he knelt down to get a better look at the mechanism.

"Mercer-"

I watched him freeze, muscles tense in the midst of his lock picking. His life's work. The only way to wealth that he had ever known. I knew without a doubt that the person trying so hard to take him down, to take _us_ down, was on the other side of that door. I doubted she fought fair. _Rules are for losers_ , that's what Mercer had told me in training, every time I tried to throw a fit about him cheating. Once I had thrown out what little morals my father had impressed on me, our sparring matched got more even. I didn't want to give those matches up, nor the private glances or the late-night visits.

"She's there, isn't she," I tried to sound confident, but my voice came out barely above a whisper.

"That's what I'm assuming," he scoffed.

I fidgeted for a moment, assuming that he would just continue his picking. We stood there, regarding each other. I traced every inch of his face, trying to commit it to memory, but fighting with myself for doing it. Why bother, we're going to kill Karliah, and then we're going to find a nice warm inn to engage in some illicit activities, and then we'll go home and celebrate.

Mercer stood and walked over to me. He took a lock of my hair in his fingers. "I'm not planning on returning to Riften," he said it plainly, but he didn't make eye contact. "With Karliah gone, the guild will be able to restore itself. But they're holding me back. I can do bigger things on my own."

"Bigger things…" I repeated. _On his own_.

"Like we talked about. Do you remember?"

I nodded, the inn in the Reach, after I had escaped from Cidhna Mine, after he had come to rescue me.

"Come with me, Adelie. You said you wanted to go to Daggerfall. We'll have more money than we know what to do with."

I nodded again, and I kissed him. It was slow, passionate, like the precursor to a long night. But there was also something strangely final about it. He let me go slowly, as if it pained him to tear himself off me. He turned back to the lock. I watched the ancient stone shudder into the ground as Mercer rose. He turned to look at me, and I smiled sadly in return. I should be elated, that I was getting out of Skyrim, that he still wanted me by his side. I squeezed his hand as I passed him, into the dim, dusty light of the next room.


	17. Chapter 17

Mercer was glad, relieved even, that Adelie walked through the door first, without him asking. A quick detect life spell had revealed Karliah sitting beyond the threshold with her bow pulled taught, in the same room that he had killed Gallus all those years ago. Karliah's feeling were the only reason that he had been able to make it back to Riften in time to frame her. The shock she felt after watching her lover fall created enough of a window for Mercer to flee. In fact, if he hadn't discovered the relationship between his colleague and the former guildmaster, he might not have been able to strike at all. It was unlikely that Karliah knew about his relationship with Adelie, but he couldn't let himself fall victim the same mistakes.

That is why he smiled as the arrow landed in Adelie's chest. He couldn't bring himself to watch her fall, or to look at her face as she landed on the cold stones. Instead, he stepped over her as if she was nothing. Just a decoy. A young thief so desperate to please the guildmaster that she steps blindly through ancient stone doors. He pulled his blades as Karliah came into view, rushing forward to confront him, another arrow already drawn. The fact that she hadn't thought already meant that his facade was working. It meant that she didn't know he was checking to see if the arrow had been lethal, rather than locating its owner.

"Karliah, what makes you think your arrow will reach me before my blade pierces your heart?" He kept his voice light, smug.

"Give me a reason to try," Karliah growled. She was dressed in her old guild leathers. Ironic, given her exile.

"It was clever, really. Goldenglow and Honningbrew, trying to take us down by getting to Maven?" He itched to kill her, to get back to Adelie. To leave Skyrim and guild once and for all. But they had each other cornered. If he moved, they would both die.

"'To undermine an enemy's defeat, you must first undermine his allies.' It was the first lesson Gallus taught us." Karliah's arm tightened when she spoke his name.

"You always were a quick study," Mercer spat in reply. Of course she would bring him up. Her world ended when Mercer stuck his sword into him. In her grief, she failed to recognize that he had a relationship with Gallus too, one which started long before she had even arrived in Riften. Gallus was the closest thing Mercer had to a father. Mercer idolized him. He did everything to impress him, listened to every lesson, went above and beyond, determined to become the best thief the world had ever seen. The best thief Gallus had ever seen.

"Not quick enough, or Gallus would still be alive," Anyone else would think Karliah remarkably composed, but Mercer knew her well enough to hear the waver in her voice.

"Gallus had the guild and he had you. All he had to do was look the other way."

"What about the oath we took as Nightingales? Did you expect him to simply ignore your methods?" Karliah's voice was raising. Her hand tightened on the bowstring.

The oath was where it all started to go wrong. He had been so young and eager, still in his teens. Serving Nocturnal, the Daedric Prince of luck, had seemed like a great opportunity.

"My methods were my business. If they had mattered so much, I'm sure your precious Nocturnal would have intervened."

"Nocturnal is as much my lady as she is yours, Mercer." Karliah growled.

At the time, his soul had seemed like such a small price to pay to have the Lady Luck herself always on his side. Now, Mercer was older. He had passed the point of no return a long time ago. There was no way for him to appease Karliah or Nocturnal. Mercer had lived his life. Now, he wanted his death back. "Enough of this mindless banter. Make your move!"

Karliah lowered her bow, reaching for something at her side. Mercer watched her carefully, realizing too late when she lifted the vial to her lips.

"I'm no fool, Mecer. Crossing blades with you would be a death sentence, but next time we meet, I promise, it _will_ be your undoing." She had disappeared before she had completely finished speaking.

Invisibility potions weren't perfect, a faint glimmer of movement was always visible. Mercer watched the glimmer retreat into the darkness at the back of the room before sheathing his sword and turning back to Adelie. Her eyes were glazed over, but she was still conscious enough to track him. Mercer squatted next to her, regarding her silently. Her lips opened and closed as if to speak, nothing except her ragged breathing came out. Mecer brushed a stray curl out of her face. Her hair was always in her face. He traced her cheekbone with his fingertips as he tried to figure out his next move. He couldn't wait around for her to recover, nor could he carry her through the snow by himself. Mercer was beginning to regret killing that horse.

He froze, halfway down her jawline. Something had moved. Mercer cast a detect life spell, his eyes flicking towards the glowing red aura. Karliah hadn't left. He couldn't break the act now. Mercer cursed as he turned himself back to Adelie. Her lips were moving again, but the movements were sluggish. Her eyes pointed to Karliah before returning to Mercer's face. So she knew. _Sharp as a whip_ , Mercer thought.

He turned to the arrow. It had barely pierced her, she should be up by now. Which meant that the arrow was poisoned. Mercer touched the bottom of the metal tip, rubbing his fingers together. They quickly turned numb. A paralytic, then, and a powerful one at that. _Of course_ , Mercer thought. There was a time, perhaps, that Karliah would have settled for simply killing Mercer, and called it justice. She had been left with her wounds for twenty five years, and instead of licking them clean and moving on she had let them fester. She wanted Mercer alive, which no doubt meant she had found some way to prove his betrayal to the guild.

Adelie wouldn't die, at least not from the poison alone. She would wake up, and Karliah would be there. Adelie would die slowly and painfully after she opened her big mouth and let it slip that she was Mercer's lover. Karliah could turn the tables. The guild, especially Brynjolf, adored Adelie. If Karliah _did_ have proof against Mercer, she could easily convince them that he had killed Adelie as well. And then Mercer would have all of the best thieves in the country after him. The best finders, infiltrators, and sneaks. Not to mention Sapphire. The woman bonded with Adelie almost immediately, and _she_ had been with the Dark Brotherhood before joining the guild. Mercer shuddered to think of what she might do to him, given the chance.

He definitely couldn't let that happen, for his sake and Adelie's.

"Don't waste any more of your time," He murmured to her before rising to his feet. Her eyes didn't leave his face. Part of him believed that she knew what was coming. "It appears history repeats itself," he said loudly, making sure Karliah could hear every word. "Karliah has provided me the means to be rid of you. Remember that this was all possible because of you." Mercer raised his sword, carefully marking the point of insertion. He slid the sword in, trying not to think about the slick blood that covered it as he pulled it out. He didn't realize he had closed his eyes until he opened them. Adelie's eyes were wide open as well, frozen on his face, but no longer following his movements. He sheathed his sword, checked Karliah's location once again, and fled the tomb, the same way he had twenty five years ago.

* * *

"Mercer!" Brynjolf jumped up as soon as Mercer's feet had touched the ground. Mercer ignored the fact that he had been sitting on Adelie's bed. "Did you find Karliah?" He asked. The sentence started eagerly, but faded as Adelie failed to appear on the ladder.

"Karliah found us." Mercer replied bluntly, walking over to his desk. He began opening drawers, trying to look like he had a purpose. He told himself that he was stalling, but in reality, he didn't know what to do.

"What happened?"

"She was at Snow Veil, but she had the advantage. She killed Adelie, I managed to escape." Mercer said, trying not to take pleasure in the look on Brynjolf's face. It wasn't a complete lie, at least not this time. By putting that sword in Adelie, he had placed her life in Karliah's hands. If Karliah believed that Mercer had tried to kill Adelie, she would have no reason to kill her. Adelie could rave about their relationship all she wanted, but to Karliah, it would only be another testament to Mercer's cruelty. His only concern was that Adelie would believe it as well, and turn against him. Then, the sword would come into play.

"Where are you going?" Mercer was so deep in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Brynjolf start moving.

"I'll inform the rest of the guild that we need to be on the lookout."

"You don't need your travel pack to go to the Flagon."

Brynjolf spun on Mercer, looking into his eyes defiantly. "I'm going back for Adelie."

"Fine." Mercer spat, trying to look indifferent. Getting Brynjolf out of the way gave him more room to make his next moves, and it would answer the nagging question in his gut of whether or not Adelie was alive or dead. For now, he had work to do.


	18. Chapter 18

I sat on a barrel in the corner of the room with my knees drawn tight to my chest. The events of the past twenty-four hours still didn't make any sense. Mercer tried to kill me, and Karliah saved me, or so she said. I remembered him standing over me, and his blade sliding between the ribs just under my breast, into my chest, angled upwards towards my heart. I wanted to chalk it all up to a hallucination from the poison, but the fact that Karliah was here and Mercer wasn't was undeniable.

Karliah raised her head from whatever was on the table and looked at me. She had the typical greyish-blue skin of a Dunmer, but her eyes were a bright purplish color that I had never seen. They were so unique that they would have made her a terrible thief. Anyone who looked at her would be able to recognize her instantly.. I glared daggers at the dunmer in the center of the room. I hated her. I hated that she was here and Mercer wasn't. I hated her for shooting me. I hated her for saving me. I hated her for breaking her exile and returning to Skyrim. I hated her for ruining the guild. I was somehow convinced that it was her fault Mercer tried to kill me. Enthir, the Bosmer she was talking to didn't seem so bad, except he was talking to Karliah, who I hated.

"I need you to do it."

It took me a moment to realize that Karliah was talking to me. I glared back into her violet eyes, trying to convey that I wouldn't do anything for her, not that I simply hadn't been listening. "I'm going back to Riften."

"You can't" Karliah said simply. "Mercer told everyone you're dead."

"You don't know that! Everyone in the guild hates you, there's no way you have a rat-"

"You don't need to be part of the guild to drink in the Flagon. Mercer told everyone you're dead, and everyone believed him. They have no reason not to; Mercer never misses."

My hand was at my chest. There was a wide tear in my armor where the blade had entered. The puckered tissue beneath was clearly visible through it. Karliah had done a good job in healing it; I had to admit that much at least. It was wide and deep, and the scar would likely be there for the rest of my life, _however long that is_. Just because Mercer had failed to kill me once didn't mean he would next time. If there was a next time.

"You should probably get that fixed. There's a great smith in Markarth." Karliah said gently. She had admitted to me that she and Gallus, the former guildmaster who Mercer had killed, were lovers. My face in my post-poison phase was not as impassive as it should have been. She likely filled in the gaps about me and Mercer.

"Markarth?" I asked, forcing my thoughts away from him. Nothing in the seven hells could make me go back to Markarth.

Karliah blinked slowly, which I think was her way of rolling her eyes. She was remarkably patient. "You need to go to Markarth and speak to the court wizard. He's dedicated his entire life to research on the dwemer and falmer, he'll likely have some information that will help us translate Gallus's journal."

 _The journal_ , I thought, glancing at the thick black book that Enthir was still flipping through. Karliah said she recovered it from Gallus's remains after she laid him properly to rest. There was a symbol on the front cover, I had a nagging feeling that I had seen it before. Karliah had said that it was coded, and while I was insulting her I had foolishly suggested that it might be in another language. Which made her think of her scholar friend, which put us both in the basement of the inn in Winterhold, the coldest and wettest place in all of Skyrim.

"I'm sure the court wizard be thrilled to know a common thief had enough grasp on his life's research to write an entire journal."

"Gallus was not just some common thief."

"He still died." I snapped, smirking at the anger in her face, finally, some emotion. I slid off the barrel and stomped up the steps to the main room of the inn.

* * *

 _A/N: Short chapter this time, but I figured I should try and write something. I'm having a terrible bout of writer's block with this story, so I apologize for the slow updates, but I'm determined to finish it!_


	19. Chapter 19

The ankle-deep mud sucked at my feet as I stood looking up at the stone gates. I had pulled my hood tight against the unrelenting drizzle. The rain wasn't enough to provide any real inconvenience, but the sky's consistent dripping seeped into everything. The air was wet, dew collected on my eyelashes despite the protective cover of the leather hood. Or was I just crying? I couldn't remember the last time I cried, was it when my mother died? Did I cry when I returned to Helgen? I wanted to ask Sapphire, she would know, but I wasn't sure if I'd ever see her again.

The bronze doors protested loudly as they were pulled open. It didn't seem like they wanted the rain anymore than I did, but they had withstood it before, probably thousands of times. And here they stood, solid and heavy, a monument to those who built them. I felt sick looking at them.

I didn't look at either guard as I passed through.

Markarth. The safest city in the Reach. You know, except when an entire forsworn clan escapes prison and kills half the guards. I just hope they hadn't filled those positions. I looked around the marketplace. Nothing had changed much from the last time we were here. From the last time _I_ was here. There was no more 'we'. My fingers pulled against the gap in the armor and pressed into the puckered, pink flesh.

Part of me wished the scar was gone. I could pretend that nothing had ever happened, like I had when my father left. Sure, I was alone, but it wasn't the first time. I could get by, I had done it before. My eyes wandered to the west, where the sun was dipping behind the mountains. If I could figure out a way to get past those peaks, I could forget. Just beyond the mountains was High Rock. I could beg my way through the country towards Daggerfall, I had done it before. It would be a lot easier if I had my gold, but that was all in Riften, under Mercer's bed. _Unless he's already made off with it_. Maybe I'd run into him on the road, he had said that he wanted to go there after taking care of Karliah. _And what if you didn't? What then?_ I thought, looking down to a brownish stain on the stone. I scraped my boot against the stain, trying to remember if the blood that made it belonged to a Reachman or a guard. _No one's waiting for you in Daggerfall._

I pressed harder against the scar, as if I could somehow reopen it. Another part of me, perhaps a bigger part of me, wished that it had never been given the opportunity to scar, that Karliah had simply left me there. I could have waited for the poison to wear off, and then I would have bled out. Maybe Mercer would have come back in twenty-five years to give me a proper burial, as Karliah had done for Gallus. _How romantic._

I dipped my head against the rain as I made my way through the marketplace. I didn't really know what I was doing. It was some cruel twist of fate that landed me back in Markarth at all. I still couldn't figure out why. After finished my conversation with Karliah I had meant to slip into bed, sleep off the remnant poison, and head for Riften at first light. Instead, I had continued out the door and started walking. I ended up on a road leading west, not east, not towards Riften.

The stone steps were slick with rain as I made my way towards the keep. I avoided the smelter, in case the overseer might recognize me and remember that my father's debt still went unpaid. I kept my hood pulled over my face, in case anyone else might recognize me. I cursed myself every step of the way, trying to figure out why I was here, why I was helping Karliah of all people.

The doors to the keep were grand enough, but the inside left a lot to be desired. I had expected splendor and the height of still-functioning dwemer technology. Instead, I got ruins, pretty much the same as the ones beneath the city that I had escaped from, perhaps less dusty. No, not even that, I thought, sneezing as I pulled my hood off. There were some bored-looking guards lounging near the entrance. I stood for a moment, waiting to see if either of them recognized me. When they didn't move, I continued.

I followed the main path of the keep until it widened. There were more stairs ahead, probably leading to the throne, but from what I knew, court wizards only sat on their Jarl's council when absolutely necessary. It was far more likely that Calcelmo had a laboratory elsewhere. I took a guess and went through the hall to the left.

The hall opened up to reveal some more old dwemer towers, and a rushing river, complete with a roaring waterfall. It appeared that my guess was right, as I moved towards two robed figures standing in an area safe from any water, complete with an alchemy and enchanting station.

"Uncle" One of the figures said pleadingly as I approached "This kind of discovery could put us both on the map!"

"It is nothing but the ramblings of a mad man Aicantar, I expected better of you."

"This artifact-"

"Oh begone with you, child. I'll have no more of this nonsense."

At this point I was standing only a few meters away from the pair. I looked between them, guessing that the older one was Calcelmo. But something about what the younger said intrigued me. If an artifact could put a mage from Skyrim "on the map", it could make a thief a legend. I inched closer to Calcelmo, watching as the younger stormed off . I didn't worry, he would be back. The locals of Skyrim held magic in such low regard that it was unlikely that another laboratory would exist in the city.

"How many times have I told you people, I'm not looking for any more guards!"

It took me a moment to realize that the old Altmer was talking to me. I didn't flinch away from his tone. Instead I sidled up to him, trying to size him up. Here was a man with an ego. If I could stoke it, he might just be willing to give me anything I wanted. Still, I wasn't sure if he had what I wanted. He had what Karliah wanted, I wasn't convinced I wanted to help Karliah. I could tell her that it was impossible to access Calcelmo's research. She probably wouldn't accept failure unless I had died trying.

"Master Calcelmo? I've heard so much about your research on the dwemer, I just had to come meet you myself."

Calcelmo glared at me through angled golden eyes, but I kept an adoring smile plastered to my face. After a moment he seemed to decide that I was genuine. "Well, my apologies. My research has been stressful as of late."

I nodded earnestly, trying to relate to him, even though I thought him lucky, if his research was the only thing stressing him out. "It must be, with the strides you're making to unlock the secrets of the dwemer."

Something shifted in his eyes, and he looked at me sternly. "What can you know of my research?"

I wished silently for my father's tongue. The man had never left me anything, but if Calcelmo would give me his translation work, I'd forgive him everything. "I've been in a few of the ruins myself, master Calcelmo" I said innocently, not disclosing the fact that the only ruins I'd ever been in were lying somewhere beneath our feet, "It's hard to do that and not find them fascinating. I heard that your research was extensive, and you were even developing a translation for the ancient Falmer."

Some suspicion faded, but Calcelmo continued to look at me down the length of his nose. "I see… but I simply cannot risk releasing any of my research before its publication. Still, I have never been one to deny a curious young mind, and I will grant you access to my museum." He produced a small key from a pocket in his robes. He held it out for me. "I encourage you to come see me after my research has been published. I might have need of someone seasoned in the ruins to receive further Falmer scriptures."

I nodded earnestly, trying to balance eagerness and humility in my expression as I took the key, and left him with promises of my return, should he ever publish. I turned away and looked at the key in my palm. It wasn't what I came for, but it was a start. I was glad that I didn't have to honor the oath of forgiving my father.

I meandered across the keep to where Calcelmo told me his museum was located, moving slowly. I had no doubt that the museum would lead to the mage's quarters, but it wouldn't be easy, especially if his talk of guards were more than the ramblings of a madman. _The ramblings of a madman_. I looked up just in time to see the court mage's nephew exiting the dwemer museum. He carried himself straight, with his hands folded behind his back, but I had no doubt that his uncle's blatant dismissal still stung him. I quickly reached up to adjust my hair, more for the effect of coy nervousness than any hope of taming it. He glanced up just as I tugged on the last curl.

"Excuse me" I squeaked, stepping into his path so that he couldn't ignore me, even if he wanted to.

He stopped and looked down at me from underneath his robe. He was young, younger than I had initially thought, but then, elves aged differently from men.

"I couldn't help but overhear your discussion with the master Calcelmo, you work with him, don't you? It must be difficult, to work with such a brilliant man." I gushed. _Might as well keep up the part._

"He's my uncle," The boy replied neatly. There was an edge on his voice. His eyes moved past me, as if looking for an excuse to leave.

"I believe you," I said quickly, in reference to whatever artifact he had discovered. It ws no doubt still on the forefront of his mine.

His eyes flicked back to me. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"You said something about a big discovery, something your uncle doesn't seem to think exists. I believe it does."

"You don't know what you're talking about." He repeated. Now would be the time for him to leave, but he didn't. I had him.

I lowered my voice. "I've worked with a brilliant man too. He kept me around because I was smart enough, but he refused to even consider that I might be brilliant too. What would the world be, if people dismissed everything that sounded a little farfetched, a little… legendary."

I could see the spark in his eyes now, but it didn't reach his mouth. He still wanted to be suspicious of me. "What are you suggesting?"

"Things of value are never easy to obtain. I think you're terribly smart sir, but forgive me if I can't imagine you fighting your way through a dangerous ruin. I, on the other hand, am adept at retrieving valuables."

He looked down at my armor. "You're a thief!" He raised his voice slightly, but not enough to warrant a glance from the guards.

"A disgraced thief," I said, gesturing to the hole in my armor and the bloodstain surrounding it. "Turns out there _is_ honor among thieves."

His mouth twitched at my weak joke, probably more out of respect than amusement. He again glanced past me. I frowned, not wanting to lose him when I was so close.

"I was too good, I got too close, so they stuck a sword in my chest. How is what your uncle doing any different? It's not that he doesn't believe you, it's that he only wants his name on the paper. I can help you, and I don't need any recognition."

He looked at me again, and I smiled. This time he returned it.

"Is there somewhere we can talk?"

He glanced back at the guards and gave me a barely perceptible nod, before turning back towards the dwemer museum.


	20. Chapter 20

Aicantar gave me a rushed tour of the dwemer museum. There were a variety of weapons on display, among them a sword, just like Mercer's, except without the powerful enchantment. I was tempted to tell Aicantar about a colleague who had stolen powerful artifacts from one of the most dangerous ruins, but I didn't think I could keep my voice steady. Instead, I tried not to pay too much attention, nodding earnestly as he described elements of dwemer culture, eventually leading me to another huge set of doors at the end of the room.

"Before we go in, I feel I should warn you that my uncle has employed quite a few guards to protect his research. They shouldn't bother us. Also, don't touch _anything_. The dwemer are quite famous for their traps, more so than the ancient nords. There are quite a few traps in this area that have yet to be deactivated."

With that, he pulled out a key and unlocked the door. Sure enough, in the entrance were two burly men in armor. They glared at me suspiciously, but didn't say anything thanks to Aicantar's presence. I probably could have snuck past them if I was alone, they didn't look particularly observant.

I tried to turn right, going further into the living area, but Aicantar went left, to a bronze gate, which he unlocked with the same key. I frowned a little; I wanted to get a look at some of the traps he was describing, but the Altmer probably didn't want to spend any more time around the guards than necessary. I was anxious to learn about his discovery, so I followed him through. We exited to a balcony high above the city, then into another tower.

"This is where my uncle keeps his research. I've taken to stowing mine here as well. Not even the guards are allowed in here."'

The entrance to the room was set below everything of importance. There were raised platforms shadowing the door which we entered from, but only one had a staircase. In front of us was what I assumed was another room raised above the ground. I could see the top of some kind of stone pillar, open to the entire room, and a set of doors behind it. Aicantar showed me up the stairs to another well-lit room.

Papers plastered the walls and desks, some of them had strange symbols, others were blank, still curled. Aicantar went to a chest into corner of the room to retrieve his own things, I experimentally pushed open the doors. On the other side was the stone, about as high as my waist, carved with strange symbols.

"Was this here, or was it moved in from another site?" I called back to Aicantar, squatting in front of the pillar.

"It was here. It's quite the miracle that the nords before my uncle didn't destroy it. They seem rather fond of tearing things down."

I snorted a laugh, standing up and turning back to Aicantar. He had cleared a section of the table and spread out his own research. I picked up one paper, an excerpt from a book, well worn around the edges. It said something about Falmer, an Ancestor Glade, a bow. I looked at Aicantar with raised eyebrows.

"Well?" He asked, a sparkle of excitement in his eyes.

"You're the scholar." I said, shrugging. "I'm just the muscle."

A real laugh left his lips as he looked at my tiny figure. He spread his research out and began pointing at various papers.

"You can see the mention of Auri-El's bow here, here, and here. These all mention the Falmer, which leads me to believe that they were the original protectors. Some of these," He picked up a stack of papers, all written in the same script as the stone pillar, "still need to be translated, but I believe they're all connected to this. And _this_ ," he handed me a map, "An adventurer sold me this, it wasn't cheap, but I do believe _this_ is where the 'ancestor glade' is." He spoke quickly, stumbling over his words as if they couldn't leave his mouth fast enough.

I squinted at the map. It looked similar enough to the other maps I had seen, except for a small mark in the upper left hand corner. I turned it every direction I could think, trying not to get too excited at its location. "This is in High Rock?"

Aicantar nodded. "I've sent a few skilled adventurers to that location, but they either reported that it was just a shallow cave, or they didn't come back at all. But I haven't given up."

"You're not worried they simply found the glade and claimed it for themselves?"

"I was, at first. But the news of Auri-El's bow would reach everywhere, even here."

"And what's so important about 'Auri-El'?" I asked skeptically, picking up another paper that was shoved out of the way. It looked like the beginnings of a translation guide. I made a mental note to slip that out.

"Forgive me, I'm so immersed in my uncle's research that I sometimes forget common people don't know the Falmeri terms. Auri-El, is Akatosh."

My jaw dropped. I couldn't help it. "A-Akatosh?" I stuttered, turning back to the map to burn it into my mind.

"Aicantar!" Calcelmo's voice boomed.

We both flinched at the voice. Aicantar blanched. He looked around frantically, but there was nowhere to hide.

"I'm sorry for this. I really do want to work with you." I said, drawing my sword. "It's easier this way."

"No, don't-" his words were cut off as I hit him hard with the hilt of my sword. He fell in an unconscious heap on the floor. I looked down at him apologetically, reaching for the translation guide. I would be back to help him if I could, but for now, Karliah was waiting.

I stuffed the guide in my armor and moved towards the doors, crouching behind the stone pillar. Calcelmo was there, scolding Aicantar for exposing a stranger to his research, ordering his guards to arrest me. The wizard was flanked by four burly guards. I remained hidden, waiting for them to turn towards the stairs, but as they grew closer I got impatient. I waited until they were just below the lip of the platform I was sitting on, and I jumped. I heard them shouting behind me as I rolled into a standing position and ran out the door onto the balcony.

I froze. There was no way out. I was trapped. There was no way I could go back through the dwemer museum, the place was crawling with guards, all of whom had probably been informed that I was an intruder. I looked over the edge of the balcony, trying to see if there was any way I could jump and survive the fall. It didn't seem likely. I moved towards a place where the railing gapped, right in front of a waterfall. I cursed, peaking over the slippery edge. There seemed to some vines growing, but they didn't grow far enough for me to be able to jump down.

I cursed again, looking over my shoulder as I heard the doors open. It seemed I was dead either way. Better to die of my own accord, even if I did get wet. So, I jumped.

It wasn't bone splitting pain that greeted me. It was a cold, all-encompassing embrace. I looked up at the ceiling, wavy and semi-translucent, sunlight muddled by an ugly green color. I struggled against the water, resisting the overwhelming urge to breath. Somehow, I clawed my way to the surface, long enough to take in a gasp of air before I sank again. This time, I sank faster. I looked around, desperate for a way out. If I could make it to the wall I might be able to pull myself up. I looked around. I didn't know which way was up. I couldn't tell the difference between wall and floor. I looked for the sunlight, but bright spots infected my vision. I let a little air out of my lungs. The bubbles floated in the wrong direction. I only heard my heart, beating like a madman trying to escape a cage. Willing my ribs to explode. I looked up.

I can't see anymore.

I can't think.

Can't swim.

* * *

 _A/N: Another update. Because cliff hangers and irregular updates go so well together. 20 Chapters already, I honestly didn't think I would make it this far. But I have less than 10 to go! (Hopefully). Thanks to everyone whose been reading with me, including the lurkers. Remember reviews are motivational and make me write faster ;)_

 _Divine Protector of Skyrim: Welcome! I'm glad you love it and I plan to see this thing to the end!_

 _Celestialstar6: That means so much to me! I like being the best._


	21. Chapter 21

" _Hush now, Adelie."_

 _A sweet voice. Calm and reassuring, but not without an edge. I looked up into storm-grey eyes. They softened as something wet touched my forehead. I smiled sleepily, turning away to play in the dirt as the voice drifted away, set to some task that required quiet. The soft squeal of a small animal dying. I turned around and saw the ram skull, covered in blood. Some streaks red, others were brown and faded, bleached in the sun like the bone beneath. The skull shattered, falling to the ground beneath a massive boot. From the pieces sprouted a single black bird._

" _Don't trust her, Adelie." The voice said again urgently. "Live only for yourself, Adelie."_

" _Silly mama." I muttered, looking up at the voice. The storm-grey eyes widened, opened up. It wasn't my mother I was looking at. It was me._

I woke with a start, struggling against the arms that held me down, flailing with my legs. My knee made contact with something, I heard a grunt, the pressure fell away. I opened my eyes, looking around, my breathing ragged. Breathing _. I can breath,_ I realized, gasping the air in. I wasn't sitting in the bottom of a pool underneath a waterfall. I was… where was I?

I looked into the face of an old man, Breton by the looks. Balding with a beard and a prominent nose, dressed in fine robes. I looked past him, to the room. Stone work, no windows. So, I was still in Markarth. There were two more men and a young woman, all Breton.

"Don't get up too quickly," the old man said, pulling a wet cloth from my head before it fell into my lap.

I looked down at myself. I was dressed in miner's clothes, not my armor. I looked around frantically, thinking of the translation. You really should stop passing out, Adelie, I thought bitterly, still not able to find my words. It wasn't my fault this time, I was drowning! I was drowning. "How-?"

"There are eyes in the Reach, young Adelie." The old man said.

"She really does look like-" The young woman moved towards me, but her sentence was cut short by a strict glare from the older man.

"Ualie, best he tells her himself." He said.

The girl rolled her eyes as I pulled myself into a sitting position. "Ualie?" I muttered. I was sure I heard the name before, somewhere in passing. These people seemed familiar, but I was certain that I had never met any of them before.

"You helped my father escape from Cidhna Mine," she said, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Uraccen?" I guessed, more like he helped me, but I wasn't about to say anything that would make these people revoke their hospitality. "Who found me?"

"Weylin, he works in the smelter. Lucky for you he knew to come to us rather than going straight to the overseer." The old man chuckled.

I felt my face flush as I swung my legs out of bed. "My stuff?"

"Don't worry, we haven't touched it." The old man said, blinking slowly in a way that made me think they did indeed touch it.

"Why didn't you leave the city with the rest of the Forsworn?" I asked, standing slowly to test my balance.

The old man's eyes flashed, but he kept the same deliberate smile plastered on his face. "The eyes must be everywhere, Adelie."

I nodded at his cryptic words as Ualie brought my armor to me. I quickly checked the pockets to make sure their contents were still intact, before hurriedly pulling it on over the clothes. I stood for a moment in the corner of the room, not quite sure how to make a graceful exit. I looked at each of the faces mutely, before the old man finally stood.

"If you ever find yourself here again, ask for Nepos before you jump off any more cliffs."

I nodded, thanking him hurriedly before leaving the house. Thankfully, it was dark outside, and not too hard to avoid the guards.

* * *

Back in Winterhold, I sat on the usual barrel in the corner as Karliah and Enthir flipper hurriedly through Gallus's journal, comparing it to the translation guide I had brought. It was clear that they were looking for something specific, but translating took time. I picked up snippets of their conversation, but I couldn't keep my mind off of what Aicantar had told me.

The idea that an artifact from Akatosh himself had found itself on this plane did seem a bit ludicrous. I had even thought so when Mercer said it, _we're going to steal from the gods, Adelie_. My thoughts were clouded by giddiness at the fact that Mercer had come to rescue me, like a damsel in a children's book. And then he was including me in his future? I was far too wrapped up in the idea of a life full of grand larceny and precious gems to doubt my lover's grand plans.

If a scholar had found it though, had located it and already attempted to recover it, it could almost be realistic. I resisted the urge to pull out my map and double check that the mark I had made was in the correct place. It seemed too good to be true. Only, Mercer wasn't here. I didn't know if I could, or if I should relay the information to him, or if I should try and recover it myself. He was out there somewhere, perhaps not in skyrim, but there were only so many places he could go, and Karliah had no doubt built herself quite the network outside of Skyrim's borders.

"By Akatosh…" Enthir muttered, picking the journal up, eyes flicking between it and the translation guide.

"Does it say something about his vapid sex life?" I drawled sarcastically, suppressing a smirk at Karliah's glare.

The comment didn't seem to effect Enthir as he checked the translation for the third time.

"What does it say?" Karliah asked eagerly, looking over his shoulder.

"This says… it says that Mercer had been stealing from the guild for years. Gallus was close to discovering him before he died."

"Before he was murdered," Karliah corrected him, turning her attention back to me. "We need to bring this back to the guild."

"'We?'" I asked skeptically.

"If I walk into the Flagon and someone recognizes me, I'm dead. Mercer has told everyone you're dead, surely there's someone who wants you to prove him wrong."

I chewed my lip, thinking about Sapphire. I did want to see her again. At least that way someone would know my side, and Karliah wouldn't have the final word. "Fine." I spat, sliding off the barrel. I wondered how many times she would suck me into her plans.


	22. Chapter 22

It was relieving to be back in Riften. I moved instinctively behind the temple of Mara, where the guild's secret entrance was hidden, but before I could press button that made the stone slab slither away and reveal the entrance, I remembered why I was there. I frowned, tugging the hood further down my face. _Everyone thinks you're dead_ , I reminded myself, turning on my heel to take the long way around.

I was somewhat relieved and somewhat disgusted to find that someone had taken care of the vagabonds who inhabited the ratway. Without them, it didn't take me long to find the door to the Ragged Flagon. I opened it cautiously and looked in. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Dirge stood watch by the entrance to the bar, Tonilia sat at the bar with Vekel. Delvin and Vex were nowhere to be seen, but that was probably a good thing; they would recognize me the second I walked in. They also probably would have recognized Karliah, who was sitting at a dark table, grasping a flagon so tightly her knuckles were white.

I walked inside, keeping my hood over my face. Dirge didn't give me a second look, but he never seemed to care about who came and went. Tonilia gave me a sidelong glance as I sidled up next to Karliah.

"Thank Nocturnal you're here," she said, an obvious expression of relief on her face. "I think the people here were beginning to suspect who I was." She stood, gliding silently out of her chair and towards the door to the cistern.

I followed Karliah. She hesitated when we reached the door, her outstretched hand hovering over the knob. Right when I thought about shoving past her and going in myself, she turned it, letting the door swing open. I pushed my hood off my head, letting my eyes adjust to the dim lighting. A group of people were standing in the middle of the cistern, discussing something in hushed but frantic tones. My eyes glided past them to Mercer's desk. I wasn't sure if I was disappointed or relieved to find it empty. The group in the middle noticed us, and drew their weapons. I looked nervously at Karliah, but she stood still with square shoulders, waiting for them to approach. She had also taken her hood off.

"Adelie!" Brynjolf spoke, flanked by Delvin and Vex. His dagger dipped slightly, but it righted itself as his eyes moved to Karliah. His voice hardened, "You better have a damn good reason to be here with that traitor, lass."

"I can explain-" Karliah started, but her voice faded as another person appeared.

I looked at Sapphire and wanted to cry with relief. She shouldered her way through Brynjolf and Vex like an angry bear. The expression on her face reminded me how terrifying I had initially found her.

"Sapphire…" I whimpered, not sure if I should go towards her or bolt.

She hit me, square in the jaw. Brynjolf cried out, Delvin chuckled and Vex laughed. Karliah made a move for her weapon, but thought better of it. I held my jaw and looked up at her, still fuming. I wasn't sure what to do, so I punched her in the gut. She folded, only slightly, before coming at me again. We had a brief struggle, which ended with me in a headlock.

"I'm going to kill Mercer next time I see him." Sapphire announced, dragging me behind the line of guild members. "You can deal with her now," she said to Vex, jerking her chin towards Karliah.

"Wait!" Karliah said urgently, taking a step back, "Mercer betrayed the guild! I have proof!" She held up Gallus's journal like a shield.

I struggled out of Sapphire's headlock, turning back to see Brynjolf, Delvin, and Vex all looking at me. Brynjolf raised an eyebrow. I nodded.

"Let me see that," he said, taking the book and its translation. He flipped through it. "That's impossible..."

"What's it say?" Vex demanded.

Brynjolf tossed the book at her, "It says Mercer has been stealing from the guild's coffers for years, but…"

"That can' be." Delvin said plainly. "That safe has the best puzzle locks money can buy. Mercer can' get in withou' both of our keys."

"Let's look inside the safe," Karliah suggested.

The men looked at her, and then each other. They must have believed her; if they didn't, they wouldn't have turned to walk towards the safe. I looked at Sapphire, waiting for her nod before I followed the group over. Delvin kneeled in front of the fortified door, moving as carefully as he would if he had only lockpicks, rather than the key. It was almost a full minute before the tumblers clicked and he stood.

"Still tigh' as a miser's purse. Now try yours," he said to Brynjolf, who then kneeled in front of the other side of the door. He repeated the same process before he stood again.

There was a long silence as they looked at each other. I found myself doubting the journal. Mercer was a good thief, but even if he could get the door open by himself, there was no way he could do it quickly enough that nobody would see. Brynjolf grimaced and pushed the door open. I followed him inside.

"I don' believe it." Delvin murmured.

A room, larger than most of the prison cells I'd seen, filled with huge chests and trophy shelves. I frowned, walking to each one individually. They were all empty. Every. Single. One.

I jumped as a loud clanging noise interrupted the silence. Vex had thrown her dagger down in rage. Her normally sheet-white face splotched red. Brynjolf looked equally pissed. Delvin was rubbing his chin. Brynjolf left the safe, gesturing for me to follow, Karliah came too.

"Tell me exactly what happened," he said, his eyes searching my face.

"Mercer-" Karliah started.

"I didn't ask you," Brynjolf snapped. He turned back to me. "Adelie?"

"Mercer and I went to Snow Veil sanctum," I said slowly, "And when we got to the end, Karliah was there. She shot me-"

"I knew it," Brynjolf growled.

I put a hand on his chest to keep him from moving any closer to her. "She poisoned me. Mercer admitted to killing Gallus. And then Mercer came to me, and he stabbed me." I gestured to the stain on my chest. It was brown now, more or less blending in with my armor, but still there, not to mention the gash. Brynjolf looked at it, his face hardening.

"He can't get away with this," Brynjolf growled. "Adelie, I'm sorry. Do you need anything?" He asked gently.

"Every second we waste, Mercer gets further away." Karliah reminded us.

 _Let him_ , I thought bitterly. But if he was still around, it was because he wanted to be. If he wanted to sip wine on the beaches of the Summerset Isles, he would be. "I'm fine. I am."

"In that case, there's something I need you to do," Brynjolf said.

"Sure."

"We need to know what Mercer's next move is. I need you to go to Riftwield manor, Mercer's house. It's the past place I want to send you right now, lass." he put his hand on my shoulder.

"I can go," I replied, shrugging him off.

"If you need to rest first-" he called after me as I walked away.

* * *

I sat in the graveyard, in the night air, perched on my favorite tombstone with my knees drawn to my chest. I wasn't quite ready to go back to Mercer's house, afraid of what would or wouldn't be there, but I also didn't want to mill around in the Cistern, subject to everyone's pitying looks and oaths to kill Mercer, as if they could. So, I watched the dark sky grow fuzzy and pale around the horizon, hoping that the daylight would bring courage. It brought Sapphire instead.

"I don't trust her," she said, taking a bite out of an apple before handing it to me.

"Who?" I asked as I took a halfhearted nibble.

"The dunmer, Karliah?" She glanced at me to affirm her guess "She's not telling us everything."

"Does anyone around here?" I sighed, Mercer had started to tell me, I was willing to bet he shared more of his plans with me than with anyone else, but he never mentioned stealing from the guild. And I had never questioned where his chests of gold came from when the guild was doing so poorly.

"You don't walk in acting like you own the place unless you're certain everyone else will obey. She's hiding something big."

"Maybe."

Sapphire sighed heavily and nudged me. "Do you need me to go with you? It'll be your first time back there…"

 _Back there…_ "How long did you know about us?" Mercer and I had been careful. He always treated me with the same disdain as everyone else when we were in public, sometimes in private too, but I had thought no one knew about our affair.

"From the beginning." She shrugged dismissively, not offering to elaborate.

I looked at the sky, now washed out shades of pink, and stretched my legs out. "I'd rather go alone."

"Hey," Sapphire said as I stretched off the tombstone, "Don't scare me like that again."

I nodded back, watching her descend back into the cistern, and made my way out of the graveyard, walking along the wall that enclosed the yards of Riften's nicer houses, counting the gates until I got to Riftwield. I took a deep breath before I clicked my key into place.

"Hey, Vald." I said casually to Mercer's guard as I made my way to the steps.

"Adelie."

I paused, turning to look at him. "How much is Mercer paying you to tell him that I got here?"

Vald shrugged, but didn't reply.

"How much do I need to pay you not to tell?"

He shrugged again.

I sighed looking at the sky. "How many other people did he have?"

"A few. Some of them left as soon as you got to the city."

"Do you know where he is?"

Vald shook his head. I sighed again and made my way up the steps and the ramp to Mercer's back door. I took a deep breath before I pushed it open.

It was quiet inside. It was always quiet. I was alone, as I usually was in this house. I frowned, making my way to the bedroom. There were things missing. Nothing anyone else would have noticed, but the room felt distinctly emptier. I looked longingly at the bed for a moment before I decided to peel my armor off and crawl in. I waited long, frustrating moments for sleep to come. The sheets were still soft, the mattress still firm, but nothing came to me. I wanted to cry, but tears wouldn't come either. I pulled myself upright again and reached for my armor, distracted by the morning sun glinting off of something in the wardrobe.

I padded over and opened it, revealing a large looking glass. My appearance startled me, it wasn't something I had grown up seeing, so I wasn't used to it. Even then, my cheeks were hollow, my eyes sunken, my hair a matted mess. Dirt and blood smeared my face, a bruise was spreading on my cheek where Sapphire had hit me. But that wasn't what I was looking at. It was the scar. Still an angry pink sliver, it curved underneath my left breast, about as wide as my hand. I prodded it, the color was supposed to have died down by now, but it hadn't. I sighed, turning around to pull my armor back on.

I made my way around the rest of the house. He had left behind a significant amount of wealth, coins, jewels, silver goblets, enough to seriously pissed off anyone from the guild, which I supposed was the point. _Home_. It really was a delicate word. I hadn't been in the guild long enough to call it my home before Mercer had shoved me up against the front door of this house. It was grand, a palace compared to the hovel I grew up in, heaven compared to the streets where I had spent my youth. But it was still just a house, as empty now as it had been before I arrived, as empty as it would be after I left. I pulled the bar off the front door, in case I wanted to come back. I wasn't sure I could spend time there without Mercer.

Something caught my eye as I set the bar off to the side. I turned to one of the wardrobes standing in the entryway. There was dirt in front of it, and the door had been left ajar. Maybe this wouldn't have been unusual, in a house where the inhabitants came and went regularly, depositing muddy shoes in the entry way as to not dirty the rest of the house. I didn't know, I had never had an entry way, or a wardrobe. I walked over and carefully opened the door. I stared at its contents. A single pair of fine boots, not a speck of dirt on them. Still, I was sure that this closet had been full of something last time I bothered to look in it. I knelt down and picked up the boots inspecting them. There was more dirt on the bottom of the wardrobe. I pushed on it experimentally. It didn't budge, not even a wobble, almost like it was bolted to the wall. I stood and a quick check confirmed this. I pushed again, but this time on the back. The wooden panel clicked back, and slid into the wall, revealing a set of stone steps, descending down into what I could only assume was a repurposed cellar.

I followed the steps down, ignoring an obviously placed chest. This room went much further than what I thought any normal cellar would. The first pressure plate was marked by the same dirt as the wardrobe, as was a tripwire. I was able to avoid them, finally reaching the end room. It was sparsely furnished, a table, a desk, a bookshelf, and a display case, which held a fine glass sword. I toyed with the hilt of my ebony sword before deciding it wasn't worth my time to pick the lock, I could come back for it. I turned back to the desk. It held a bowl full of jewels and jewelry, a carved bust, and a single piece of paper, a map. I picked up the map, and something fluttered down to the desk. I picked it up delicately, immediately recognizing Mercer's handwriting. I smiled softly as I pocketed the note, turning back to the map. It had a section circled, labeled "The eyes". I sighed, tucked the map away with the gems, took a cursory glance at the bookshelf, and turned to return to the guild.

* * *

 _A/N: A bit of a longer chapter for y'all. Still working hard._

 _Celestialstar6: Shoot me a pm when you decide to publish :)_


	23. Chapter 23

Mercer paced back and forth, flipping a septim from one hand to the other as he did. He peered out the foggy windows of the estate. There were enough guards and mercenaries to protect the emperor himself, but that wasn't what he was worried about. A contact had come a day ago, telling him that both Adelie and Karliah had arrived in Riften, gone to the guild, and emerged unharmed. If he wanted to flee, now was the time to do it. The guild had accepted whatever proof of his betrayal Karliah presented, and would be against him, perhaps even searching for him. Still, he couldn't bring himself to even consider that someone in the guild would be capable enough to find him before he wanted to be found. No, what worried him was the fact that no one delivered the news that Adelie or Karliah had left Riften. Adelie would have found the map by now, he had made it obvious enough for her, Brynjolf would be able to put the pieces together, and Karliah would rush to catch him.

Mercer looked out the window again, in time to see a figure running towards the house. The mercenaries noticed too, drawing their weapons. Mercer slowly made his way down the stairs and out the front door, waving off the mercenaries before they could do anything. The man continued running, halting only to pant at Mercer's feet. Mercer wrinkled his nose as he looked down at the man.

"Whatever time you saved by running all the way from Riften, you're wasting now," Mercer growled at the heaving man.

The man straightened, trying miserably to conceal his labored breathing. "Karliah has left… out of the south gates… I wasn't followed…" He managed to say.

Mercer waved him off with an irritated gesture, went back inside the manor, and resumed pacing the floor. He wasn't at all concerned that someone would find him. He was staying at the Black-Briar lodge, Maven's estate in the mountains south of Riften. No one would have reason to suspect that Maven would shelter him. A loss for the guild was a loss for her, after all, and Mercer was the main source of the guild's losses, as they had probably discovered. Adelie might figure it out, but she had no great affection for the Black-Briar matriarch, and there was no way Karliah would try to call any favors after what she did at Goldenglow. If she was going out the south gate, it could only mean that she was heading for Nightingale Hall. The question was whether or not Adelie would go with her.

Mercer cursed, wishing he had told her more. It was possible that Karliah only wanted to ask the advice of Nocturnal, but there was still the possibility she might try to indoctrinate Adelie into the daedric prince's cult. He had been young and poor once, and his soul had seemed a small price to pay for potentially unlimited wealth and a secure home and family. Now, his hair was graying, mortality wasn't some far off idea, like it had been when he was sixteen. It was an approaching truth. He had lived his life, now he wanted his death back.

He wished he had told Adelie the whole story, about the Nightingales, Nocturnal, stealing from the guild, even Gallus's death. He had given her the sword as insurance, knowing that she might turn against him. If she killed him, his soul would be trapped in the single black soul gem he provided her, safely out of Nocturnal's reach. But now, it wasn't just his soul on the line, it was Adelie's.

Mercer shook his head, trying to convince himself that there was no reason for him to care about her fate. She was old enough to make decisions for herself, even if that decision was to sell her soul. Perhaps she would live to regret it. Perhaps she would become as devout as Gallus and Karliah had. Perhaps he could find a way to free them both.


	24. Chapter 24

The guild had settled a little by the time I returned to the Cistern. Everyone looked at me as I climbed down the ladder, but nobody had their weapons drawn. The atmosphere was still tense, people stared at me and Karliah with shifty gazes. I hated being associated with her, but the bloodstain on my chest seemed to brand me. It also solidified Mercer's perilous position. If he returned… I didn't want to think about that right now.

Brynjolf had assumed Mercer's position at the desk, and I resented him for it. The way he spread his arms to support himself, and poured over the books with a crease in his brow, it was all Mercer's. I wanted to shove him away, to preserve the notion that everyone in the guild felt the gaping hole in their chests the way I did, not to have to admit that I was alone in this. It was like Sapphire had said, the guild was a business, not a family. Mercer was gone, and Brynjolf filled the gap.

He straightened as I approached. I handed him the map, stuck halfway between hoping he knew what "the eyes" were, and that he was as clueless as me. I forced myself to suppress my irritation at Karliah when she reached over to take the map. The crease in Brynjolf's brow deepened.

"Do you know what this means?" Karliah finally asked, handing the map back to him.

Brynjolf didn't reply right away. Instead, he looked me over. "Did you find anything else?"

I shook my head, trying not to touch the note in my pocket.

Brynjolf sighed deeply before continuing. "A long time ago, Gallus and I stumbled upon a merchant who sold us a figure of a snow elf, with tiny gems as its eyes. It's been lost since, but Mercer and Gallus were convinced that it was something bigger than just a figure. Gallus thought he was getting close to discovering it before he…"

Karliah chose to interject rather than acknowledge the end of his sentence. "That could be big. If he gets his hands on those, we'd never be able to catch him."

"My thoughts exactly." Brynjolf rolled the map up.

"I guess we should go then," I muttered.

"Brynjolf," Karliah spoke, her voice slightly harsher than usual. "The time has come to decide Mercer's fate. Until a new guildmaster is chosen, the decision falls to you."

I forced myself to remain impassive, feeling the dunmer's eyes on me.

"Aye lass," Brynjolf started slowly. "And I've decided. He tried to kill Adel- _both_ of you. He murdered Gallus and betrayed the guild. Mercer needs to die."

It wasn't as if I wasn't expecting it, but somehow the words wrenched my gut.

Karliah nodded, I didn't dare look directly at her, lest I do something stupid. "We need to be careful. Mercer is a Nightingale, an agent of Nocturnal."

 _Nightingale?_ I thought. I had heard the word mentioned before, as well as Nocturnal, but Mercer had never mentioned anything to me.

"We need to meet him on equal footing. Just behind Riften, beyond the south gate, there's a mountain path. I'd ask you both to meet me at the end of the path, by the standing stone. I can explain more there." Karliah continued.

I slid my boot on the wet stone beneath me, nodding faintly with Brynjolf's affirmations.

* * *

I thought about leaving, right then and there. I had delivered the journal and its translation. Karliah had been accepted back into the guild. I had spoken to Sapphire. There really was no reason for me to stay anymore, especially not with the death sentence hanging over Mercer's head. But, I didn't really have anywhere else to go. I sat on the edge of my bed in the guild, looking at the contents of my chest. I weighed a coin purse in my hand. It was probably enough to get me to High Rock, but the nagging voice in my head wouldn't stop asking, _what then?_

I sighed as I pushed myself into a standing position. _I don't want to go_ , I told myself every step. But my feet moved towards the south gate, then through it, and up a mountain path that I probably wouldn't have noticed in my exhausted and depressed state. I paused, there was a curve in the path, but I could hear voices. I edged closer, and peeked around the edge of a boulder. Brynjolf and Karliah had already arrived.

"I think anyone would take attempted murder pretty seriously," Brynjolf was saying. There was an edge to his voice.

"It wasn't the murder so much as the betrayal, I think." Karliah replied.

"He betrayed _all_ of us. She's got to recognize that she's not alone in this."

"Yes, but I don't think all of you were sleeping with him." Karliah retorted.

So they were talking about me. I set my mouth in a hard line, trying to channel Mercer as much as I could. How many times had I wished for his stoicism? Brynjolf didn't reply, except for a strangled noise.

"Surely you must have known." Karliah said gently.

"I didn't know. And I'm not inclined to believe it," Brynjolf replied harshly.

"I saw them kiss, through the door in Snow Veil. I'll admit it surprised me as much as her when he drove the sword through her."

I remembered Mercer leaning over me, feeling the tip of the arrow that had barely managed to pierce me, the way he reached for me, and the way he stopped. He had seen something, I had tried to follow his eyes, but my body wasn't responding particularly well at that point. It was _her_. Karliah had stayed behind.

"I'll admit, I thought of killing her. An eye for an eye, after Gallus. But I knew after he left her for dead that it wouldn't have the desired effect."

I could feel the hairs on my neck bristle at her remark. I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself. Mercer manifested himself in my mind, as he had so often these past days. I remembered the night he had told me all the ways he knew to kill people, his fingers playing across my skin, stopping in places to press firmly as he enlightened me of the particulars of which artery to sever, which tendon to slice. He had spent what seemed like hours on the heart alone. All the poisons that could stop it. All the angles one could slide a blade in, how deep and hard they needed to push. I remembered his fingers pressing on the very spot my scar now stood. I remembered the feeling of the blade as it pressed between my ribs, slicing through hard tendons and soft tissue, but somehow, it didn't pierce my heart. It didn't kill me.

I stepped out onto the path, in plain view for both of them. I was glad that Brynjolf seemed at least as offended as I was. "Karliah," I said, walking towards her. "Do you remember, when you 'saved' me? The first thing you said when I woke up, 'if I had wanted you dead, we wouldn't be speaking'?"

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything.

"What makes you think Mercer is any different? You were _afraid_ to fight him, because you knew you would lose. Do you honestly think that he could kill _you_ in a fair fight, but somehow he messed up killing a motionless target?" I stopped when I was practically nose to nose with her, staring into her vivid violet eyes, the same eyes that had made me think she'd make a terrible thief. "Maybe you should have killed me." I spat.

"So," Brynjolf's voice finally cut the tension between us. Karliah wasted no time in turning away from me to face him. I counted that as a win. "What is this place."

Karliah let out a deep breath. "This, is Nightingale Hall," She said, leading us towards a cave.

I only caught snippets of their conversation as we descended into the cave. The Nightingales were an elite order of thieves, guided by the Daedric Prince Nocturnal. Gallus, Karliah, and Mercer had been Nightingales before Mercer's first betrayal.

As we went deeper in the mountain, the cave became less cave-like and more like ruins. Some effort was put into the walls and floors to make them looked finished. There were remnants of beds and shelves, as if people had lived here before. Karliah said that there are traditionally three Nightingales, but this place seemed much larger than that.

"You'll need to don the Nightingale armor before we go any further." Karliah said, approaching a few stone pillars. She touched one, revealing a set of jet-black armor, which she hurriedly dressed in. I glanced at Brynjolf, who shrugged and mimicked her actions with another. I had no choice but to do the same.

The armor was high-quality. Jet black to blend into the shadows, and heavily enchanted. It was light enough to wear, sturdy enough to protect, and fit me perfectly. It took me a few moments to figure out the fastenings after wearing guild armor for so long. I finally pulled on the hood and looked back to Brynjolf and Karliah. Their faces were unreadable underneath the black covering.

Brynjolf started talking to Karliah again, but I was too distracted by my recent revelation to pay attention. I followed them, my hand wandering back to my scar. It was surprising to meet supple leather instead of skin. I let my hand drop as we entered the next room. A stone circle took the bulk of the room, with three smaller circles branching off of it. Karliah instructed me to stand on the leftmost circle.

Karliah knelt, and raised her hands in offering. "I call upon you, Lady Nocturnal, queen of murk and empress of shadow. Hear my voice!"

Nothing happened for a moment, but just as I had prepared a sharp comment, a violet light appeared in the center of the room.

"Ah, Karliah," The voice was smooth but stern, almost like a disapproving mother. It echoed off the walls of the room. "I was wondering when I'd hear from you again. Lose something, did we?"

"My lady, I've come before you to throw myself upon your mercy, and to accept responsibility for my failure."

"You're already mine, Karliah." The light was growing impatient. "Your terms were struck long ago. What could you possibly offer me now?"

"I have two others that wish to transact the oath, to serve you both in life and death, to give unto you their souls."

 _Souls?_ I tried to move, but my feet were rooted into the ground.

"You surprise me, Karliah. This deal certainly seems weighted in my favor."

"My wish for Mercer's demise exceeds my desire for wealth, your grace."

I tried again to leave, to move even a little bit. My body wasn't responding. It felt like Karliah's poison and drowning at the same time, multiplied by ten.

"Very well," The light said. I could feel it's gaze shift between me and Brynjolf. "Though, it seems this gift is not given willingly."

The ground fell away, as did Karliah, Brynjolf, and the walls, until I was surrounded by darkness, the light pulsed unsteadily, not as light as it should be, but still the center of my new universe. I tried to catch myself, but my feet were rooted to an invisible ground, and I still couldn't move.

"Why do you hesitate, Adelie?" Nocturnal addressed me.

"I won't give you my soul." I said, trying to sound strong. The darkness around me sucked my voice away, as if it vanished before even leaving my lips.

"You know you cannot hope to defeat Mercer without my help."

"I don't want to defeat Mercer." I felt like I was a child again, being scolded for eating too much or straying too far.

"You should banish all of his silly stories from your mind. Mercer Frey lives on borrowed time."

"And yet he lives."

"And yet he lives," Nocturnal agreed. "His soul is mine. No amount of stories or dreams can undo that. He lives until he dies, and then he will serve me for an eternity. I intend to collect, Adelie, and you must help me."

"I won't." I said defiantly, trying to push off a suffocating feeling.

"Is Mercer really so dear to you?"

I nodded.

Nocturnal chuckled. "Perhaps I underestimated him. He was my pride and joy, you know. Only one thief in memory could hope to equal him, and that was a long time ago, Adelie."

"He wanted more than you could give him." Mercer had once told me that I was the only person who could pretend to rival him.

"Oh, and I suppose you think _you_ could?" She didn't wait for my reply. "That isn't the question here, Adelie. The question is _why_ he's so dear to you. I would have thought you'd find him repulsive. He is so much like your father."

"You don't know anything about my father!" I shouted back.

"Don't I?" She laughed again. "I've been watching you, Adelie, since you were a child. You think that you survive all those years by yourself? That no one caught you stealing, that no drunken wretch came upon you while you were sleeping? Our alliance has been fated… but I suppose I can be convinced to strike a deal."

"What deal would that be?" I murmured, though her comment about my father still stung.

"You have promise as a thief, Adelie, you do. Perhaps the promise to surpass anything that Mercer could have imagined. You'll never be able to reach your full potential without me."

"Get to the point." I snapped.

"Mercer must be brought to justice. He belongs to me. I would love to watch you develop, but if your soul is more important to you than unthinkable wealth and fame, then I suppose it can't be helped." She paused, but I didn't speak. "You _will_ swear your soul to me today, Adelie. But, if you deliver Mercer to me, I will release you. Your soul will be yours, you'll relinquish all of the help that I've given to you, as well as all the plunder I could give you in the future."

I stood, chewing on my lip as I thought it over. It wasn't a deal I wanted to take. I didn't want to kill Mercer, much less stake my soul on it. The thought of wealth and fame tempted me. I filled my lungs with the thin air. Mercer would die either way. If I promised to kill him, it would at least give me a last chance to see him. "Fine." I said finally. "I agree to those terms."

I could almost see the smile rise on her lips as the room reappeared around me. Brynjolf and Karliah stood where they had been left.

Nocturnal was the first to speak: "Very well. The conditions are acceptable."

"Lady Nocturnal," Karliah said, "We accept your terms. We dedicate ourselves to you, as both your avengers, and your sentinels. We will honor our agreement in this life and the next, until your conditions have been met."

"Very well. I name your initiates Nightingale, and I restore your status to the same, Karliah. And in the future, I'd suggest you refrain from disappointing me again." Nocturnal said before she flickered out.

I sucked in air as my body was released, almost falling to the ground in relief. I walked quickly down the stone bridge that attached my platform to the main circle, meeting Karliah and Brynjolf in the middle.

"Now that you've transacted the oath, it's time to reveal Mercer's true crime." Karliah said.

I rolled my eyes.

"Mercer was able to unlock the guild's vault without two keys because of what he stole from Nocturnal, the skeleton key. By doing this, he's compromised our ties to Nocturnal, and her ties to this plane. In essence, he caused our luck to run dry." Karliah continued when Brynjolf and I remained silent. "The key isn't just restricted to physical barriers. It can untether anyone's untapped abilities. Once the holder realizes this, potential becomes limitless."

A lock pick that never breaks, but also unlocks a person's full potential, giving him almost unlimited power. All of Mercer's extravagant ramblings of stealing from the gods didn't seem so impossible.

"If the lock isn't returned to its place in the Twilight Sepulcher, things would never be the same for the guild. Our luck would run out until almost non-existence. Whether you acknowledge it or not, we rely on luck for our trade."

"Well, we'll have to catch Mercer first. I reviewed some of Gallus's old notes before coming here. I think I know where we'll find Mercer, and the eyes of the Falmer. An old dwarven ruin called Irkngthand." Brynjolf disclosed.

"I guess we're going to Irkngthand." I said, squaring my shoulders.

* * *

 _A/N: This chapter is a teeny bit longer to make up for last week's uber short one. I meant to upload two last week, but this chapter was really hard for me to finish. A big welcome to everyone who followed in the last few chapters. It's really motivating to know people still enjoy my work._

 _CelestialStar6: Sorry about your feels, but you're not off the roller coaster yet *evil laugh*_


	25. Chapter 25

Mercer packed quickly, throwing what little belongings he needed into a light pack. He had to be fast. Karliah had brought Brynjolf _and_ Adelie to Nightingale Hall, but no one saw them emerge. That could only mean they had all taken the oath, sworn their allegiance to Nocturnal, and sold their souls. Mercer cursed himself as he slid a map into his pack. He should have been more clear, he should have told Adelie everything. He should have hauled her limp body away from Snow Veil Sanctum. It was too late now. He had run out of time. He couldn't escape with her from Irkngthand. Not alive, at least.

The trip to the ruin crawled by. Mercer had been there before, when he was a young thief, eager to please, inexperienced, but with more talent than anyone his age should have possessed. Stealing rings off of noble women's fingers had bored him. Scaling tall towers and breaking in windows to empty remote safes became monotonous. Even Nordic ruins, with their traps and undead, couldn't challenge him. So, he turned to the last place in Skyrim, notorious for deadly puzzles and machinery that had endured more than the test of time: dwarven ruins. Irkngthand had caught his attention. He heard rumors of its boundless wealth, mostly from men who had gone mad. But what kind of fool would he be to not listen to a madman? He had found the legendary sword, but as young and brazen as he was, he had not been courageous enough to delve deeper.

Sneaking past the bandits who had taken up residence in front of the ruin was almost too easy. It was a moonless night, and slipping from shadow to shadow provided little of the thrill he used to find in his job. Not even killing felt as satisfactory as it once had, though the thought of Adelie coming upon the mangled bodies of the sleeping bandits he just disposed of did cause the corner of his mouth to twitch upwards. Mercer set a few traps as he went. None of them were enough to discourage pursuit, but that wasn't what he was going for. He was gloating.

There were more Falmer than there had been his last visit, but that was no matter. The creatures were blind and his blade was silent. It was easy to get past them. Still, he moved slowly, meticulously clearing each room of its treasures. Should any of his pursuers decide to take a look in the many rooms, they wouldn't find anything. Really, he was giving them time to catch up. He knew that they had left directly from the Hall of the Nightingales, but he was still faster. They probably hadn't stopped to rest either. Mercer caught himself wondering when the last time Adelie slept was.

Mercer paused as he felt something, almost like a pulse of energy. They were here. He allowed himself to move slowly, letting them close some of the distance. It would be wrong of him to make off with the Eyes of the Falmer before they got a chance to see them, to see what they lost. He could feel them pursuing him, their energy was almost frantic. He smirked as he crept silently through a rather large settlement of Falmer. The towers they had built their hovels around were crumbling, but they were still higher than any of the buildings in Riften. It was almost as if they were begging for some passerby to topple them.

It didn't take much, really. Just a few pissed off Falmer and some minor engineering. He allowed himself a chuckle as he heard the massive pillar fall behind him, blocking his route. There was another way through, he knew, but his path was much easier. The extra time let him set up another trap, just outside the room that held the eyes.

Mercer stood outside the doors, admiring his handy work. This trap would work marvelously. Even if the Nightingales somehow defeated him, there was no way they'd be leaving that room alive. He knew the way out, of course. Mercer always protected himself.

He took a deep breath before stepping through the final doors. The sight behind them was better than anything he could have imagined. There was the figure. It had to be more than fifteen men high, sitting cross-legged with a book in one hand and a staff in the other. From its eye sockets gleamed two massive gemstones, each larger than Mercer's head

"How the great have fallen," He murmured as he wiped the blood of the statue's lone guard off his blade. There was little resemblance between the hissing monster, clad only in a loin cloth, and the handsome elf depicted in stone.

Mercer wasted no time in clamoring up the rest of the way. He sheathed his sword, and balanced on its lips. He put a hand on either side of the gem, and began to tug. It took a little pulling before he felt the eye loosen. After that it came easily. He stashed the gem in a satchel and smiled at its weight as he shimmied over to the other. Halfway through his tugging, they entered. He smirked as he heard Karliah issuing orders in hushed tones. The gem finally came free. He jumped from his perch and moved down the arm, tossing the heavy gem in one hand as came to a halt on the flat surface of the book.

"Karliah, Karliah, when will you learn you can't get the drop on me?" Mercer's voice reverberated off the cavern walls. It was enough to trigger his trap. A low rumble sounded, behind the door they had so hurriedly closed in their attempt to block his escape. Several stones fell from the ceiling. The ledge holding Adelie fell.

He watched her stumble before catching herself. Clad in the Nightingale armor, he could no longer see the wound he had left her. But, she was the only one of the three not wearing the hood. Her hair spilled from her head, a lock fell in her face. Her face was gaunt and pale. Dark shadows rimmed underneath her eyes, as if she hadn't slept in days. Strange, considering how fond she was of that activity. She never once woke when Mercer slipped out of their bedroom, and she seemed to spend more time in bed than out.

"When Brynjolf brought you before me, I could feel a sudden shift in the winds. I had only hoped you might share in my wealth," he said to her.

In reply, Adelie stared up at him with wide, pleading eyes. He thought seeing her again would have no effect on him, but he felt as if he had been punched in the gut. "Give me the key, Mercer," She finally replied, her voice cracking.

"What's Karliah been filling your head with? Tales of thieves with honor? Nocturnal doesn't care about you, the key, or anything having to do with the guild!"

"Nocturnal and I have sorted our problems. This is between you and me." She said. Her words held finality, but her voice was full of doubt.

"Have I taught you nothing?" He tried to fight against the strain in his voice, but he couldn't help the fact that his throat felt like it was closing. "I was fool to think you could join me. You can't see beyond that hovel you were abandoned in!"

Adelie's hurt was quickly replaced with anger. "Nocturnal was right. You are just like my father."

"Fine. I only hope you're as good with a sword as you were in bed," Mercer quipped, eyes shifting to Brynjolf for a reaction. Mercer knew that she was. After all, he had taught her both those skills.

Adelie was nearly on top of him by the time he finished casting the spell. Brynjolf and Karliah shouted frantically as their blades clashed, Karliah was no longer in control of her actions. None of that mattered to Adelie. Her full focus was on Mercer.

She stumbled as he parried her first attack, but righted herself in time to block his. There was a strength in her attacks that he hadn't felt in training, perhaps that's what happens when someone actually wants to kill you. Mercer was glad to see that she still used the ebony sword he had gifted her; he had been concerned that she would forsake it for Chillrend.

They danced around the statue, both stumbling over loose rubble. Sweat glowed on their foreheads, their eyes remained locked together. Mercer pushed her back, their fight was a frenzy of black and gold, blades twisting in the air, moving too fast to properly be seen. It wasn't until she froze that Mercer saw what was really happening.

She had stepped into the water that began to fill the room and simply stopped moving. Her eyes moved down to her leg, submerged in brackish water to the knee, but her body was stiff, still ready to protect herself. Her eyes were wild with fear as her mind fought against some other force controlling her. _Nocturnal,_ Mercer realized. He could feel her, whispering into Adelie's ear. The very idea of it angered him. Adelie's eyes met his again, pleading for help.

It would have been a perfect opportunity to end her, but he knew that if he killed her now, Nocturnal would have won. Instead he took her place. Invisible for only a second, Mercer moved around Adelie and shoved her out of the water, taking her place instead. Adelie's movements were a fraction slower as Nocturnal struggled to regain control. He pushed her back up the statue, grimacing as she realized she had the advantage. By the time they reached the head, Adelie had Mercer pinned against it. Their faces were only inches apart, hot breaths mingling, just like on the night she had returned from Helgen, only now, there was a blade pressed against his throat.

Her arm trembled as she held Nocturnal back. Mercer was sure the Daedric prince was screaming at her to finish it. "Why didn't you come back for me?" She whispered.

A million answers ran through his mind. He wished he could tell her everything, but there wasn't time for that. "Why didn't you come find me?" He countered.

His eyes flickered to the side, where Brynjolf and Karliah were fighting, knee deep in the murky water. Karliah's body might not have been obeying her as she attacked Brynjolf, but her eyes were on Mercer and Adelie, her expression that of pure rage. When he looked back to Adelie, she had followed his gaze, her mouth set in a hard line.

"She'll kill you if you don't kill me," Mercer said, he could feel Adelie's hold slip.

"She's told me as much," Adelie replied.

Mercer moved himself against the blade until he felt blood trickle from his neck, "What are you waiting for?" He growled.

"I could keep you alive," She pleaded, begging him to surrender.

Mercer moved instinctively, not completely conscious of his actions, except that he needed to do them. Not for his sake, but for hers. She was on the ground, her hair spread around her head like a halo, eyes wide with shock. She reached for the blade, trying to hold it off as it slipped between her ribs, right over the old scar. Blood dripped down its length. She struggled to speak, but was still fighting with herself. He could see the words in her eyes, they had appeared before in the past, but neither had spoken them. The blade was close to her heart, a single slip and it would all be over.

"The map-" It was barely intelligible. She lifted a bloody hand and grabbed the front of his armor, wanting to pull him closer, but lacking the strength.

He obliged and leaned in, keeping the sword steady.

"Map." She agonized, pressing her hand against his face.

Mercer's brain worked as he tried to figure out what she was talking about. He held the sword in her. Ironically, it was the only thing keeping her alive. "What map?" He whispered, leaning closer.

Her lips fluttered weakly, but no more words came out. He watched her eyes glaze over as the blood continued to rush from her wound. An unfamiliar wetness graced his eyes as he forced the sword deeper into her. The blood stopped gushing. With no heart to push, it flowed idly from her wound until it stopped. Not for the first time, Mercer was alone, covered in the blood of someone he loved.

* * *

 _A/N: Well... I hope that didn't come as too much of a surprise for most of you. This story is coming to a close, only two chapters left! (1+ and epilogue) I hope you guys see this to the end with me!_


	26. Chapter 26

There was a stone. It was long and wide and flat, lying in the ground beneath the dirt. The stone used to be the pure grey color of so many stones, but years had marred it. It was behind my hovel, up a path so thin that it went unnoticed. My mother used to bring me to that stone on the days when my father went missing. She would gather me silently and lead the way up the path, to the stone. She decorated it with a ram's skull on a stake. It had twisted, uneven horns, and bits of dried skin clung to it. I wasn't sure the skull had ever been pure, even before layers of blood had been painted onto it.

I would play in the dust, and try not to listen to the squeals of small animals as my mother killed them. She would murmur in a language I didn't understand as she painted blood on the ram skull and let it drip onto the stone. When she was done, she would pull me into her lap, fingers still bloody. She would paint blood on my face as she told me stories of an ancient and wild magic.

My father came back one day. He found us there, by that stone, with wild smiles smeared in rabbit's blood. He was angry. He destroyed the altar, crushed the brittle skull beneath his boot and swore to bury the stone. My parents began fighting about something I didn't understand.

Still, it was that altar that occupied my thoughts. For the first time, I remembered those precious moments with my mother so clearly. Perhaps it was the blood on Mercer's face. Only it wasn't the blood of a rabbit or a squirrel; it was mine. My palms were split open, but I touched his face. I wished I knew the words my mother said as she decorated the ram skull, they would have helped me in some way.

I wanted to tell Mercer that I understood why he did it. I wanted to tell him so much more, but there was something important that I _needed_ to tell him, I just couldn't remember. He was watching me with a deep crease in his brow, he opened his mouth to say something, but he was gone before his lips moved.

The pain was gone. My hands were still bloody, so was my armor, but I was no longer bleeding. In fact, I felt almost like I was drowning. I was weightless, held in suspension, surrounded by silence. I tried blinking, but it was too dark to tell if I did. The silence felt wrong. It took me a moment to realize that I wasn't breathing. I grasped at my throat but my body wouldn't obey. I felt panicked, but my heart didn't pound in my ears.

Something tugged at me, tiny hands pulling me through the darkness, tugging in different directions. I couldn't tell whether or not I was moving until images began to appear. A tree, the ground, mist. Something ran in the bushes around me. I reached for my sword only to find an empty scabbard, and my hand went through my hip. I didn't have time to marvel at this as a creature stepped from the bushes. It was bear-like, with abnormally long limbs and patches that looked almost human. It opened its mouth but something else came flying from the bushes. I watched them grapple, fascinated and appalled, as I had been by my mother's altar.

 _Adelie._

I turned and came face to face with myself. Only, it wasn't me. It was my face, but there was more age to it, a subtle difference in the nose and the curve of the lips. The eyes were mine, storm-grey and identically shaped, but wild, like a beast's.

 _Mama,_ I whispered. I reached for her, but fell through her form. _Mama I don't think I'm supposed to be here._

She smiled sadly, holding her hands out. _You didn't heed my advice, Adelie. You chose to live for someone else, and you have lost._

I tried in vain to grab her hands. _I couldn't kill him mama, I couldn't do it. I don't know why I'm here._ Something tugged at my back, I felt myself slipping.

My mother was looking sadly off into the distance, a sly smile played across her face. _I could feel her when you were a child, constantly hovering over you. Your father wanted me to forsake the old gods, but I could feel my death in my bones. I knew when I died they would be the only thing left to protect you._

 _Who? Nocturnal?_ At the mention of her name the tugging grew stronger. I struggled to make sense of what my mother was saying. _The old gods? Nocturnal said that she was the one who protected me when I was alone._

 _She lied, it's what thieves do._ Her hand hovered over the Nightingale symbol on my chest. _Even now, in this realm, she calls for you. But, it is no mistake that you are here, Adelie._ Her hand moved to my face and pressed it against my cheek. It felt wet. _I told you to live only for yourself, but you chose to swear an oath to another._

 _Mama, I'm sorry._ I wanted to weep. It was all too much to take in. I relished the firm feeling of her hand on my face, I couldn't even bring myself to despise its wetness. I wanted so badly to return her touch, but I could feel myself slipping, fading slowly back into the darkness.

 _You can fight her, Adelie. You can stay here, where you belong._

I did as she said. I pushed against the force tugging me, trying to shoo away the tiny hands that grasped at my armor. It worked, I could feel my form solidifying, becoming more grounded in this strange new world of beast-men. That was, until I heard but a tiny noise, almost inaudible. My courage slipped, I faded, listening for it again. It game in the form of a grunt, somewhere close to me but still too far away. _Mercer_. I had to tell him about the map. He needed to take my map. He needed to steal from the Gods and find the bow. I looked back to my mother. She was barely visible, almost transparent.

"Mama, I'm sorry," I whispered as I descended back into the darkness.

* * *

It was as if someone hit him on the back of the head. The ground fell away, replaced by an impenetrable darkness. He stumbled forward, only to find that the ground was solid and smooth, even if it was indistinguishable from everything else. He pulled himself to his feet. Adelie stood in front of him. She wasn't wearing her cowl, he could clearly see her pale skin and wild hair, as untamable as it had been in life. But she _was_ dead, he had made sure of that. He understood when he looked past her.

"Nocturnal." He spat, rising to his feet.

"You failed," Nocturnal said in the voice of a detached mother. Adelie looked at her, wide-eyed. "Not that I'm surprised. You could have been so great, but you let him poison you."

Adelie turned to him. "Mercer," she breathed. She almost looked the same as he had in her last moments. Bloody hands, a slash on her side, even if it was no longer bleeding. Only now, there was blood smeared on her face. It was bright red and still looked wet, painted in a purposeful pattern across her cheeks and forehead.

Mercer could feel Nocturnal's eyes on him. She was but a light, white in the middle with violet rays, not bright enough to penetrate the darkness. "Come, Adelie, your service has only just begun."

Mercer narrowed his eyes. Something was wrong. It was unlike Nocturnal not to bring them to her plane, it was even more unlike her not to take a physical form. She must be weaker than he thought.

His suspicions were proven when Adelie turned to him, completely disregarding Nocturnal's order. Her eyes were wide as she spoke. "Mercer the map, you have to take the map!" She was practically shouting, her voice was sucked into the silence around them

"What? Mercer, what have you done?" Nocturnal demanded. "You dare defy me? _She belongs to me!"_

Mercer didn't have time to ask Adelie what she meant. He turned defiantly to Nocturnal. "You might have me before it's over," Mercer said, holding out the blackish purple gem, "but you will _never_ have Adelie."

Adelie's feet slid towards him, pulled by an invisible force. She leaned away from him, trying to fight the pull. "Mercer, what have you done?" She echoed as she slid closer to him. There was a quiver in her voice.

She was gone, almost all at once. Mercer held the soul gem tight in his fist, feeling the quiver of life inside it as he looked triumphantly to Nocturnal.

"You fool. You have sentenced her to a hell worse than anything _I_ could have given her." Nocturnal said, in that same, distant voice.

The room reappeared around him, accompanied by Brynjolf shouting Adelie's name. Mercer pulled Adelie's sword out of her body, sheathing it on his own waist. He looked at the soul gem again, stowing it carefully in the same pocket he kept the skeleton key. He gave one triumphant grin to Karliah and Brynjolf before he fled.

* * *

 _A/N: Only one more! I appreciate all the reviews, favs, and follows, even in this late hour. I esp. appreciate everyone whose stuck with me!_

 _Guest: I cackled when I read your review. But, I promise, it was harder for me to write than it was for you to read._


	27. Chapter 27: Epilogue

Mercer paced the creaky wood floor of the Old Hrodan Inn, contemplating his next move. He stopped every ten or so steps to look at the items spread across his bed. They were all Adelie's things, stuff she had left in his house, stashed in hidden corners like a true thief; she had even managed to find a few of his favorite hiding spots. He turned again and again to her map, trying to make sense of the various scribblings and markers that decorated it. She had been so insistent that he take it, yet he hadn't a clue as to why.

Mercer threw the map down in frustration and resumed his pacing, ignoring the innkeeper's concerned looks. Surely it wasn't the first time someone had wandered into this place, tired and bloody. Maybe she was just surprised that he had turned down "Tiber Septim's room", opting instead for the small room in the corner where he had spent the night with Adelie. It felt like a lifetime ago, but it couldn't have been more than two weeks. He sighed as he returned to her items, something in particular caught his eye.

He picked up the armor. Well, armor was a generous term. In reality, it was animal skins, scrapped together in an almost haphazard way. Adelie was carrying it when she entered the inn that night she escaped from Cidhna Mine. Mercer had wanted to make a lewd joke when he spotted the extremely revealing armor, but something had stopped him. He turned it over in his hands. It was cut for a fuller figure than Adelie's, but something about it felt distinctly hers, despite the fact that she had received it less than a month before her death. He held it up, glancing at the black soul gem he had propped up on the nightstand, next to the ebony sword that had filled it.

He sat down, looking at the armor, trying to figure out why he was so drawn to it. There was no reason. Absolutely none. He tossed it aside, trying to break whatever trance it put him in. As he did, a small slip of paper fluttered to the ground. He sighed as he picked it up. Upon turning it over, he immediately recognized his own handwriting. It was the note he had left for her, but she had added a single word to the beginning of his sentence, so now it read, " _Stay_ One step ahead."

Mercer squinted at the 'M' in his signature. He glanced between it and the armor, bringing a name to his mind. _Madanach._

Adelie hadn't talked much about the few nights she spent in the mine, which was probably more Mercer's fault than hers, but he did remember that she wasn't as upset as she should have been. In Markarth, she had become completely blind to the rest of the world upon the mention of her father. After coming out of a prison that the man she so despised tricked her into, she should have been more upset. Mercer was prepared for demands of a manhunt, or at least some kind of revenge, but Adelie hadn't mentioned him again. That was, until she confronted Mercer in Irkngthand. She had come out contemplative, sure, but not at all concerned that her father had sentenced her to a life of hard labor.

At the time, his irritation at her blatant disobeyal had trumped his concern for her. She had always muttered in her sleep, but after coming out of Markarth, it increased. He was never able to understand any of it, and had dismissed it as simply incomprehensible ravings, but one night, a single word, rather a name, had stood out. Madanach.

He picked up Adelie's soul gem, and stared into it, trying to fit the pieces together. The armor was Forsworn, he realized. It was too obvious, he cursed himself for not noticing earlier. He sighed heavily. It was a start, but not an easy one. The Forsworn never trusted outsiders. The fact that Adelie had not only survived among them, even if it was only for a few days, but also that they had actively _helped_ her, just cemented Mercer's theory. It would be hard to secure an audience, but they might take action if someone stuck their nose in the wrong places…

* * *

Mercer didn't struggle as a rough burlap sack was pulled over his head and his hands were bound with equally coarse rope. His and Adelie's sword were pulled from his hip, as well as a few other daggers and poisons he had stashed, but they didn't find the skeleton key nor the soul gem. Mercer walked along docilely as rough hands yanked him to his feet and shoved him forward.

They walked for what felt like hours. Mercer stumbled over rocks as he was led up thin mountain trails. He didn't know where he was, except that it was nowhere near civilization. He was still in the Reach, Forsworn territory didn't spread far outside of it. The night air chilled him through his armor, but he could hear commotion ahead, so they must have been getting close. Close to what, Mercer didn't know. It could be exactly what he wanted, or it could be his execution.

Mercer could tell they were entering a cave. The breeze had shifted, and the air immediately smelled more earthy. They walked a ways further, before Mercer was pushed into a chair. The sack was yanked off of his head, and someone cut his binds. He forced himself not to reach for his weapons. Instead, he flexed his wrists and took in the room around him.

He was right, they were in a cave. Behind him stood a massive orc in forsworn armor. The desk in front of him was occupied by a thin old man, who didn't look up from the letter he was writing. The room was damp, but well-lit by torches.

"You'll imagine my excitement," The thin old man said, still not looking at Mercer, "When I heard that our Adelie was coming back to us. And then, you'll imagine my disappointment, when you sat in front of me, alone."

"You're Madanach, then."

"And you're Mercer Frey." Madanach said dryly.

"You already know."

"There are eyes in the Reach, Mercer." He finished up his letter, and set the quill carefully to the side, looking at Mercer for the first time. "I don't have to ask what happened to her. I can see it in your eyes."

"I do have to ask though, why you claimed she was with you."

Mercer began to reach for the soul gem, but he paused. "I have to ask why you're so keen to see her." He countered.

The old man smirked. "Apparently the Forsworn's eyes reach father than the Falmer's, else you'd have figured it out already. Adelie is my granddaughter."

Mercer started, he certainly hadn't been expecting that, nor did he have any idea that they knew about the eyes of the Falmer, much less that he had stolen them. But, he could see her in Madanach the second he looked up. His eyes were all Adelie, the color of storm clouds, with the same electric feeling. Despite his age, there was a youthful curiosity in them. Mercer couldn't find his tongue, so instead, he pulled out the soul gem. The old man's face darkened.

"I'm guessing this was also your doing." He said dismally, plucking the gem delicately out of Mercer's hand.

Mercer leaned forward. "It was the only way to keep her free."

"You think this is freedom?" He said, holding the gem in one hand. It was no longer than his hand, and thin enough to grasp easily.

"Compared to service to a Daedra?" Mercer challenged.

"Adelie was in no real danger of that. If you could have seen past yourself, you would have known."

Mercer was ready to dismiss the old man, to tell him that he knew nothing of Nocturnal or her powers, but his mind replayed their last encounters, and he realized that Madanach was right. She hadn't worn her cowl, she probably wouldn't have worn any of the Nightingale armor, given the choice. Sure, Nocturnal had guided Adelie's blade, but Adelie broke free of that hold multiple times, the fact that Mercer was sitting upright was a testament to that. Even in death, Adelie practically ignored the Prince she was sworn to serve. The oath hadn't been binding, not for her at least.

In some way though, Mercer must have known that. He was fully prepared to die when he saw Adelie. He had even set himself up for it. The soul gem that now trapped Adelie was originally for him. That was the whole reason he had given her the sword; he knew the last battle would be between him and Adelie. Even if he died, the soul gem would have held him, and hopefully Adelie would have found a way to set him free.

Yet, she hadn't killed him. He had killed her. Despite decades of meticulous planning, Mercer made a mistake. He had sealed Adelie into the fate he had been so desperate to avoid. He tried too hard to keep her free, and now she was trapped, trapped in this tiny rock, all alone.

"Is there a way… to set her free?" Mercer hesitated. He was unsure. It was a foreign feeling.

"When Adelie's mother left, she ran off with some _Nord_ silver miner. She promised to renounce the old gods, the old ways, and cursed me every way she knew how as she did."

"Adelie thought her family was from Daggerfall." Mercer muttered.

"It's what she would have been told. But my daughter didn't renounce her gods. She continued to worship, she showed her daughter. Adelie might not have known our gods, but they knew her. Their blood ran through her veins. If anyone could free Adelie, it's Adelie." He tilted his head as he regarded Mercer. "Though, I don't think it was _her_ soul she was that concerned with."

"You'll help me, then." Mercer said.

The old man shook his head. "My kin may be gone, but my people aren't. As long as the Forsworn are forced to cower in the hills, I cannot shift my focus. But you don't need my help, Mercer Frey. Adelie has left you with everything you need."

* * *

 _A/N: Okay... so that's all I guess. Again, a big thank-you to everyone who took the time to read, fav/follow, and review (even the lurkers). I wouldn't have finished without y'all. So I guess I have to say what's next? I do have some ideas for a sequel to this story, but it won't be for awhile, though you can probably guess what in-game quests it will follow. I have been working on another unrelated story that I hope to post soon, so make sure you check in if you're interested in that! Thank you all so much._

 _Celestialstar6: A-are you still alive? I hope this ending was satisfactory._

 _DracoOblivion: Very observant. And yeah, this story is pretty much 100% daddy issues._


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